PR No. 210
Islamabad April 30, 2020

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi received a telephone call from Foreign Minister of Iran, Dr. Javad Zarif, today. The two Foreign Ministers exchanged greetings on the advent of holy month of Ramazan. Offering condolences over the loss of precious lives in Iran due to COVID-19, the Foreign Minister expressed the hope that Iran would achieve success against the global pandemic. The two Foreign Ministers discussed the recent outbreak of desert locust in the region and agreed on the need for collective endeavours to effectively address this menace. The two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the Afghan peace process. Foreign Minister Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast support for peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan and our hopes for the earliest commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations. Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed thanks for Iranian leadership’s principled position on the rights of the Kashmiri people and highlighted enhanced difficulties in IOJ&K due to communications restrictions and lack of unfettered access to medical and other supplies to address Coronavirus. The Foreign Minister also drew attention to the demonization of Muslims in India in the context of COVID-19, emphasizing that it should be rejected by the world community.

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