ISLAMABAD  -   Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from President of the European Commission Ms. Ursula von der Leyen here on Friday and discussed matters of mutual interest.

The President of the European Commission congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on assuming the office of PM and underlined the Commission’s desire to further strengthen its bilateral relationship with Pakistan. The PM expressed his thanks for the felicitations and stated that Pakistan greatly valued its relations with the European Union, which were based on shared values and common objectives of peace, prosperity and development.

The PM highlighted the importance of closer trade and investment ties between Pakistan and EU. He appreciated the GSP Plus arrangement and underlined that, being a mutually beneficial scheme, it had played an important role in expansion of Pakistan-EU trade. The PM lauded Ms. Ursula von der Leyen’s stewardship of the EU Commission and underscored his resolve to further deepen mutual engagement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended a cordial invitation to the European Commission President.

The two leaders agreed to stay in contact and work together to expand Pakistan-EU relations, intensify investment and trade cooperation, and enhance mutual cooperation between the two sides in diverse fields.