Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said the international community will have to undertake serious and effective steps to control humanitarian crisis, revive economy and for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He was talking to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium Sophie Wilmes in Brussels on Tuesday. In the meeting held at the Egmont Palace, the two sides expressed commitment to boost ties particularly in areas of trade, education, and science and technology.
This is the first visit of a Pakistani foreign minister to Belgium in a decade. The Foreign Minister said Pakistan is hosting an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on the 19th of this month to draw the world’s attention towards the grave economic situation of Afghanistan. He said a peaceful Afghanistan is not only in Pakistan’s interest, but the entire region.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi also apprised his Belgian counterpart about the human rights violations being committed by occupation forces in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
On the bilateral relations, the Foreign Minister said Pakistan desires to further strengthen partnership with Belgium in different spheres, including economy, trade, education, science and politics.
The Belgian Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction over the positive progress in bilateral relations between the two countries. He also thanked Pakistan’s cooperation in safe evacuation of foreign nationals from Afghanistan. =
