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BAGHDAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and proposed the development of an overarching framework of political consultations and bilateral cooperation at the foreign ministers’ level.
The meeting took place as the foreign minister is on three-day visit to Iraq. He viewed that the framework would provide impetus to deepening and strengthening the mutually beneficial partnership.
The foreign minister conveyed sincere and warm greetings from Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Iraqi Prime Minister, and expressed Pakistan’s full support for a secure and prosperous Iraq. Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi reciprocated the gesture and thanked Pakistan for its support.
Foreign Minister Qureshi appreciated the resilience of the Iraqi people in facing serious challenges to peace and security. He paid tribute to the sacrifices rendered by Iraqi people in fight against terrorism, and said the two countries could benefit from sharing experience and expertise in this area.
He expressed confidence that, with able leadership, unyielding efforts and sincere friends, Iraq will overcome any challenge to emerge stronger and more prosperous in future.
He stressed that the purpose of his visit was to translate Pakistan’s existing friendly relationship with Iraq into a collaborative and mutually beneficial partnership across diverse fields. He briefed the prime minister on Pakistan’s focus on building connectivity and economic diplomacy.
Pakistan has always stood by the people of #Iraq in times of distress and earlier this year, three C130 flights with #COVID19 related assistance were sent to Iraq.
🇵🇰 🤝 🇮🇶 https://t.co/UgqJyZcUGF— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) May 29, 2021
Foreign Minister Qureshi identified areas, such as tourism, manpower export, infrastructure development, investment and food security, in which the two countries could significantly benefit from enhanced cooperation.
He also expressed Pakistan’s desire to meet its energy requirements with oil from Iraq. He laid special emphasis on the need to further strengthen people-to-people linkages, in particular facilitating thousands of Pakistani Zaireen who visit Iraq every year.
Agreeing to the potential of cooperation between the two countries, Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi urged the foreign ministers of both countries to explore collaboration in the health sector.
The foreign minister stressed the importance of high-level visits between the two countries to build and carry forward the positive momentum in the relationship.
Discussing regional and global issues of mutual interest, Qureshi apprised the prime minister of the deteriorating situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He also briefed on Pakistan’s efforts to support peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, in particular the Afghan Peace Process, as well as Pakistan’s principled position on the issue of Palestine.
The foreign minister thanked the prime minister for accepting the invitation by Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Pakistan and hoped that the visit would take place at the earliest convenience.
