Foreign Secretary, UK Minister for Armed Forces hold talks on bilateral relations,
regional and international developments
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Tuesday agreed to enhance cooperation and cement the bilateral friendship further.
Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood held talks with James Heappey, Minister for Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, at the Foreign Office.
The talks covered bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Foreign Secretary said that Pakistan attached high importance to its relations with the UK and was committed to elevating it to newer levels.
“Stressing the historic and long-standing nature of Pakistan-UK partnership, the Foreign Secretary reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to further deepen cooperation across myriad dimensions including trade, investment, security, defence, culture and people-to-people linkages. The Foreign Secretary especially highlighted the role of Pakistani diaspora in UK and its valuable contribution to the further advancement of bilateral relations,” it added.
The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to playing a positive role in promoting regional peace and security.
He emphasised the need for the international community to play its role in addressing the dire humanitarian situation.
In the context of South Asia, the Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of strategic stability and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Heappey reaffirmed the importance of UK-Pakistan partnership and UK’s desire to expand bilateral cooperation.
He appreciated Pakistan’s cooperation with the international community, and UK in particular, following the August 2021 developments in Afghanistan. He thanked Pakistan for its facilitation on evacuations from Afghanistan.
The two sides agreed to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, especially in this 75th anniversary year of Pakistan-UK diplomatic relations.
The UK Minister for Armed Forces James Heappey is in Pakistan on a two-day visit to highlight the importance of Pakistan as a strategic partner to the UK and reiterate the long-standing deep people-to-people ties between the two countries. This year Pakistan and UK will be celebrating 75 years of partnership and bilateral ties.
The last ministerial visit to Pakistan was in September when the then Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab held high-level meetings and discussed how the two countries can work closely together on the situation in Afghanistan.
In his arrival statement, James Heappey said: “The UK and Pakistan are close friends and partners. As we celebrate 75 years of our bilateral relationship, it is more important than ever that we continue to work together in an increasingly unstable world to tackle challenges and those who threaten global peace and security.”