Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday met President of Spain’s Congress of Deputies Meritxell Batet and discussed a range of issues including Pakistan’s progress on the FATF action plan and Afghanistan’s situation.
On his arrival at Spain’s Parliament House, FM Qureshi and his delegation were welcomed by Meritxell Batet. During the meeting, the foreign minister said Spain is Pakistan’s important partner in the European Union.
Pakistan, he said, is resolved to strengthen cooperation in multiple spheres and the recent visit of his Spanish coun-terpart also helped strengthen the bilateral ties. Mentioning the celebration of 70 years of Pakistan-Spain diplomatic relations, Qureshi emphasised the exchange of high-level delegations and activation of the parliamentary friendship groups.
Highlighting Pakistan’s successful strategy to tackle the Covid pandemic through smart lockdown, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s proposal for debt relief to the developing countries to help them overcome the economic impact of the pandemic was lauded globally.
FM Qureshi also said Pakistan paid a huge price of instability in Afghanistan by sacrificing 80,000 lives and facing an economic loss worth $150 billion. “Pakistan always advocated for a political solution to the Afghan issue and that after 40 years, an opportunity for the revival of peace has come which should not be missed.”
Referring to the recently held meeting of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan in Islamabad, the foreign minister called for taking solid steps for financial support of the Afghan people.APP
