Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had a bilateral meeting with President of Spain Pedro Sanchez on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, today. The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional issues.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the steady growth of bilateral exchanges and increase in trade and investment. They agreed to utilize the existing institutional mechanisms to fully realize the potential of bilateral relations in all areas of common interest.
The Prime Minister appreciated the support and solidarity of the Spanish government in the wake of climate-induced massive floods in Pakistan and thanked for the relief assistance extended by Spain for the affected people. The Prime Minister shared the details of the devastation caused by the floods to crops, housing, livestock and critical infrastructure. The Prime Minister underlined that Pakistan being a negligible contributor to global carbon emissions was among the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. He hoped that the international community would step up and help mitigate the adverse effects of the floods through active participation in the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.
The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of further deepening the multifaceted Pakistan-Spain relations – with a particular emphasis on inter-parliamentary ties, security and defence cooperation, collaboration in energy sector, and people-to-people links.
In the regional context, the Prime Minister underlined Pakistan’ssupport for an inclusive, peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan. He added that Afghanistan faced a grave humanitarian situation as well as formidable challenges to its economy. The Prime Minister stressed that sustained, practical and meaningful engagement of the international community with Afghanistan was essential for ensuring the welfare of the Afghan people and for promoting the shared goals of peace, security and development in the country.
The Prime Minister extended an invitation to President Sanchez to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.
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