Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the principles and objectives of the Saarc charter for the welfare of the people of the region, economic integration and regional prosperity.
The FM shared these views during his meeting with South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Secretary-General Esala Ruwan Weerakoon in Islamabad. He further said Pakistan believed Saarc could provide a conducive and congenial atmosphere to build economic synergies and transform the quality of life of the people of South Asia.
The secretary-general is on his first visit to Pakistan since assuming office in March 2020.
Expressing condolences on the death of Priyantha Kumara, the foreign minister stated that the entire political leadership, religious scholars and Pakistani nation had condemned the incident, and the government of Pakistan was determined to take all necessary steps to bring perpetrators to justice.
Qureshi recalled the important and constructive role played by Pakistan in realising the true potential of Saarc and making it a useful organisation for regional cooperation and mutual benefit based on the principle of sovereign equality.
He reassured the secretary-general of Pakistan’s strong support for regional cooperation and urged him to accelerate the pace of the Saarc process.
The foreign minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to hosting the Saarc summit when the artificial obstacles created in its way would be removed.
Weerakoon thanked the foreign minister for sharing his views on different Saarc related issues and assured to make concerted efforts to strengthen cooperation among member states to realise the full potential of the body.
48TH SESSION OF OIC
Earlier, Qureshi expressed Pakistan’s commitment to hosting the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Countries’ Council of Foreign Ministers in March 2022.
He said that with the recently held extraordinary session of the OIC-CFM on Afghanistan being appreciated at the international level, Pakistan owing to its effective diplomacy has become the hub of world attention. The foreign minister expressed these views at a reception he hosted in honour of Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Minister of State Farrukh Habib and senior officers of the Ministry of Information in the federal capital at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
