Islamabad, 22 June, 2023 (GNP): The Minister of State (MoS) for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar highlighted the need for the world community to work cooperatively to obtain solutions to increasing global issues such as refugees and climate change in an interview on Wednesday.
During the interview, she said that Pakistan had been in close relations with the Western world and with Institutional linkage regardless of whether they were with the US or the European Union (EU).
However, at the same time Pakistan cherished its decades-long, close strategic ties with China, she added.
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“Look at Pakistan, Pakistan has good relations with both. It is every sovereign country’s right to pursue its rights, our interest is in having balanced and good relations with all the countries.” Khar replied to a question about US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to China.
Moreover, she said that if the temperature of competition raised in the atmosphere of the world, then it would be a great standard for other countries on how to maintain such relationships and also stimulate them.
Khar expressed that the world has been experiencing growing problems like climate change and refugees’ inundation.
Furthermore, the minister stressed, “We all the US, China, EU, Pakistan or India, have to sit together to find out a solution to these issues. With different blocks, these problems cannot be resolved.”
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While replying to a question regarding relations with EU, Khar said that the bilateral involvement among Pakistan and EU were deep and wide. It includes business contacts, institutional linkages, IT sector growth and many more. Thus, the GSP Plus status could not only describe their ties.
She continued, the GSP Plus is not only profitable for Pakistan but also enhanced the EU trade with Pakistan. Also, EU countries and Pakistan have been engaging at several multilateral forums, the minister added.
The minister further emphasized that these relations are much stronger irrespective of their GSP Plus status.