Islamabad (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met with the EU HR/VP Kaja Kallas in Islamabad.
During the meeting, both sides acknowledged the positive trajectory of Pakistan-EU ties and agreed to further strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments, ahead of the 8th Pakistan-European Union Strategic Dialogue, which is being held subsequently.
The Dialogue was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Dar and European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas who arrived here on a one-day visit.
Dar said that the continuation of the Strategic Dialogue demonstrated the shared resolve to impart greater momentum to Pakistan-European Union relations and to shape a forward-looking partnership.
He said that Pakistan held a deep appreciation for the European Union leadership and referred to the European Union HRVP’s active engagement during the Pakistan-India war, as well as the current conflict, the US-Iran conflict, as both sides kept exchanging notes.
Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his interactions with President of the European Union Council António Costa, DPM Dar reiterated an invitation for the President of the European Union Commission to visit Pakistan.
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Highlighting considerable untapped potential for cooperation, he said both sides could work together, particularly in trade and many other areas.
In her remarks, Kaja Kallas commended Pakistan for facilitating the talks between the US and Iran, noting that the conflict was having an impact on everybody in the world in the form of rising energy and fertilisers prices.
“So this is really what we need to see, a ceasefire really holding and then the talks continuing,” she added.
She said that the momentum of 2026 was to develop European Union-Pakistan relations into a more forward-looking footing.
“We also promote free and fair trade and investment, and advance sustainable connectivity. The European Union remains by far Pakistan’s largest export destination. And I was surprised to hear that it is actually more than the US and China combined. So we really are your market,” Kallas remarked.
She said that while Pakistan continued to be the world’s leading beneficiary of the GSP+ system which showed that the partnership was not only commercially significant, but was also a driver of growth.
She said that besides trade and investment, both sides could also explore the deepening of ties, including in resilience building, climate, digital infrastructure, migration and mobility.
