Hina Khar, EU commissioners discuss matters of bilateral relations

Celina Ali

Islamabad: As part of her ongoing visit to Belgium, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has held extensive meetings with two European Union Commissioners in Brussels.

The Minister of State called on the European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic to follow up on discussions pertaining to EU’s flood relief activities in Pakistan.

During the interaction, Minister of State thanked the EU for activating the European Civil Protection Mechanism post floods that enabled immediate assistance from EU during rehabilitation phase. The two sides agreed to explore further avenues for collaboration in disaster management and capacity building, according to a statement received here on Tuesday.

In her meeting with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Minister of State discussed optimal utilization of the recently launched Migration and Mobility Dialogue including opportunities for legal migration of skilled labor. It was agreed to strengthen cooperation in implementation of Pakistan-EU Readmission agreement.

Hina Khar, EU commissioners discuss matters of bilateral relations

In her interactions at the EU Commission, the Minister of State expressed the hope that the EU would take a leadership role in dealing with emerging global challenges and non-traditional security threats including climate change, pandemics, water, energy and food security. She advocated for collaboration and cooperation for building capacity with a special focus on sustainability, green economics, agriculture and digital connectivity.

Highlighting the importance of GSP+ scheme, the Minister of State stated that Pakistan-EU trade had increased under the present regime, which has contributed significantly towards growth and poverty alleviation in Pakistan and has been a win-win for both sides.

Pakistan and the EU dialogue processes are driven by the Strategic Engagement Plan, which reaffirms both sides’ determination to further strengthen the long term, forward-looking and broad-based partnership for peace, development and prosperity.