Prime Minister Imran Khan met President of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde on the sidelines of 74th session of the UNGA session yesterday. The Prime Minister recalled his meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on the margins of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) in Beijing in April 2019 and the subsequent high level contacts between the two countries. The Prime Minister also highlighted Pakistan’s “Engage Africa” policy and the resolve to deepen cooperation in all fields. The Prime Minister shared Pakistan’s concerns over the situation in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK) and emphasized that the international community must strongly urge for the lifting of curfew and other restrictions that had been imposed on the civilian population for over 50 days. He underscored that India’s unilateral and illegal actions of 5?August and the grave humanitarian situation posed a serious risk to regional peace and security. Besides addressing the dire human rights and humanitarian situation, it was imperative to take steps to ensure respect for the rights and freedom of the Kashmiri people and facilitate a just and durable solution of the Kashmir dispute. In the bilateral context, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen existing friendly ties by deepening bilateral economic engagement. The Prime Minister underlined Pakistan’s desire to expand trade and economic outreach to Africa and in this regard highlighted the importance of stronger Pakistan-Ethiopia relations. *-*-*-* ?
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