Pakistan, Indonesia pledge to bolster cooperation

PM Shehbaz emphasised Indonesia's role as a reliable trade partner for Pakistan, particularly highlighting the crucial import of palm oil from Indonesia to meet Pakistan's edible oil needs. Both leaders agreed on the importance of maintaining close communication to deepen bilateral ties.

The Prime Minister also expressed Pakistan’s keen interest in furthering its relations with ASEAN and thanked Indonesia for its support in Pakistan’s bid for Sectoral Partner status in ASEAN. PM Shehbaz expressed hopes that, with Indonesia's support, Pakistan could soon become a full Dialogue Partner of ASEAN.

In addition to bilateral matters, the two leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Palestine, advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and a comprehensive approach to resolving the Palestinian issue. They reiterated their commitment to the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Prime Minister Sharif extended an invitation to President Widodo to visit Pakistan, which was accepted.

PM arrives in Egypt to attend D-8

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday arrived in Egypt on a three-day official visit to attend the 11th Developing Countries (D-8) Summit in Cairo, themed "Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow's Economy".

At the summit, the premier will highlight the importance of investing in youth and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for a strong and inclusive economy based on employment generation, innovation and promoting local entrepreneurship, according to a PM Office press release.

He will demonstrate Pakistan's strong commitment to cooperate and implement the fundamental principles laid down by the D-8 besides emphasizing the importance of partnerships for mutual benefit and development among the participating countries, as well as cooperation in agriculture, food security and tourism.

The prime minister will highlight the steps taken by the Government of Pakistan for the empowerment of youth and their economic development.

He is also scheduled to attend the special session of D-8 on the Humanitarian Crisis and Reconstruction Challenges in Gaza and Lebanon to deliberate on the situation resulting from Israeli aggression in the Middle East.

He will underline Pakistan's principled position on the situation in Palestine and call for peace in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Shehbaz will also hold bilateral meetings with the heads of various countries who have come to attend the summit in Cairo.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi will attend the conference along with the prime minister.