At UN, Pakistan, UK reaffirm commitment to dialogue and multilateral cooperation

• FM Ishaq Dar meets UK Secretary of State for Foreign Yvette Cooper, discuss expanded cooperation across trade, defense, and people-to-people ties

• FM condemns Israel’s unilateral measures in Occupied West Bank, stressing Palestinian self-determination and pre-1967 borders

• Dar engages with global leaders, including Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Palestine, Syria, and UK counterparts, underscores justice, accountability, and adherence to international law for lasting peace

 NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Thursday reaffirmed their shared commitment to dialogue, multilateralism, and effective cooperation, particularly within the United Nations framework.

The reaffirmation came during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs Yvette Cooper on the sidelines of a high-level UN Security Council meeting on Palestine in New York, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office.

During the meeting, FM Dar and his UK counterpart exchanged views on key regional and international developments and underscored the importance of sustained high-level engagement. Both leaders committed to further strengthening bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, including political, economic, trade, investment, defense, and people-to-people exchanges. FM Dar expressed appreciation to Secretary Cooper for convening the important briefing.

Productive UN engagements in New York

During a busy one-day official visit to New York, FM Dar participated in the UN Security Council’s High-Level meeting on Palestine, chaired by Secretary Cooper, ahead of the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace (BoP). He also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, and the UK, in addition to engaging with the Minister and Permanent Representative of Palestine and the Permanent Representative of Syria. Discussions focused on bilateral relations, regional and international developments, and issues of mutual interest.

At the Security Council, FM Dar strongly condemned Israel’s recent unilateral and illegal measures to expand control over the Occupied West Bank, calling for their immediate halt and reversal. He reiterated Pakistan’s principled stance in support of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination through a credible, time-bound political process consistent with international law and UN resolutions.

He stressed that the process must lead to an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. FM Dar expressed hope that the Board of Peace, operating under UN Security Council resolution 2803, would contribute to tangible steps toward these objectives.

Bilateral ties and high-level diplomacy

On the margins of his visit, FM Dar engaged with international counterparts on the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including political, economic, trade, investment, defense, and people-to-people exchanges. He underscored the importance of sustained high-level interactions and robust institutional mechanisms to strengthen Pakistan-UK relations.

The visit highlighted Pakistan’s active diplomatic engagement at the UN in support of peace, justice, and international law, while advancing key bilateral priorities.

Justice and accountability for lasting peace

Addressing the high-level UN Security Council briefing on the Palestinian question a day earlier, FM Dar reiterated Pakistan’s longstanding support for Palestinian rights. He emphasized that “there can be no durable peace without justice, no stability without accountability, and no sustainable solution without the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”

Pakistan condemned recent unilateral Israeli measures in the occupied Palestinian territories and reaffirmed its opposition to any actions altering the status of the territory, describing them as violations of international law.

Highlighting Pakistan’s engagement in multilateral initiatives, FM Dar noted the country’s active participation in the US-backed Board of Peace, aimed at advancing ceasefire implementation, reconstruction, and political dialogue in Gaza.

Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan confirmed on X that FM Dar would reaffirm the country’s “principled and consistent position on Palestine,” stressing opposition to Israeli expansion in the West Bank and the urgent need for scaled-up humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

Pakistan has consistently supported a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, and has voted in favor of related UN Security Council resolutions, maintaining that any lasting peace must be anchored in international law and respect for Palestinian rights.