Pakistan ready to play role to de-escalate Russia-Ukraine conflict: PM
In telephonic conversation with EU president, Premier Imran stresses urgent need for ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow. PHOTO: FILE
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday held a telephonic conversation with European Council President Charles Michel and said that Pakistan was ready to play a facilitating role for de-escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Earlier today I spoke with EU Council President Charles Michel about the Ukraine situation. Shared concern over continued military conflict, highlighted its adverse economic impact on developing countries, stressed urgent need for ceasefire and de-escalation, the premier wrote on his official Twitter handle.
The premier emphasised the importance of humanitarian relief and reiterated call for a solution through dialogue and diplomacy. “We agreed that countries like Pakistan could play a facilitating role in this endeavour. I look forward to close engagement to promote shared objectives,” he added in a follow-up tweet.
Later, an official statement issued by the PM Office said the premier received a telephone call from President of the EU Charles Michel.
“President Charles Michel conveyed condolences over the loss of precious lives in terrorist attack on a mosque in Peshawar on March 4, 2022,” it added.
Emphasising that Pakistan has maintained a principled position that it would only be a partner for peace, the prime minster stressed the urgent need for ceasefire and de-escalation.
PM Imran underlined that Pakistan had friendly ties with Russia and Ukraine and had remained in close contact with both sides.
Underscoring the importance Pakistan attaches to its relations with the EU, the prime minister conveyed that he was looking forward to his visit to Brussels to meet the EU leadership.
He also extended an invitation to the EU president to visit Pakistan, read the communiqué.
The development comes a day after the premier lambasted the envoys of the European Union over their letter in which they demanded that Pakistan should condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine and vote against Moscow at the UN.
PM Imran also asked if the bloc had written anything to India on the Kashmir issue. Reminding the nation that Pakistan’s former rulers had participated in the US war on terror, the premier maintained that he would have never allowed the country to become a part of it had he been in power back then.
Also read: Pakistan urged to vote against Russia’s blitzkrieg at UNGA
“What did Pakistan get in response? [Around] 80,000 people lost their lives,” the premier noted, adding that millions were forced to migrate from the tribal areas and the country bore a loss of over Rs100 billion.
Despite mounting pressure from the West to condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations delivered a carefully-worded speech at the emergency session of the General Assembly last week, calling for de-escalation of tensions and sustained dialogue.
Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at the world body, did address the General Assembly but abstained from voting on a resolution that “deplored” the military action against Ukraine and “demands” Russia withdraw from its neighbouring country.
In his speech, Ambassador Akram did not condemn Russia’s military action against Ukraine but emphasised that “Pakistan is committed to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter: self-determination of peoples, non-use or threat of use of force, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, and pacific settlement of disputes”.
He did not mention Russia in his speech, where he also stressed that Pakistan upheld the “principle of equal and indivisible security for all” in a statement that appeared to refer to the concerns of Russia that led to its military offensive against Ukraine.