ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar who on official visit to Brussels held extensive meetings with two European Union Commissioners and discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries in diverse sectors.
During meeting of the state minister with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, issues pertaining to EU’s flood relief activities in Pakistan came under discussion.
Hina 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.
The state minister in her interactions at the EU Commission 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.
