Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has called for deeper Pakistan-Australia cooperation through expanded parliamentary exchanges, trade and investment, education, defence cooperation and people-to-people contacts.
Gilani made the remarks during a meeting with Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Timothy Kane at Parliament House in Islamabad, where the two sides discussed bilateral and inter-parliamentary relations as well as areas for broader cooperation. The Senate chairman said Pakistan attaches importance to its longstanding relations with Australia and highlighted shared democratic values, Commonwealth traditions, bicameral parliamentary systems and strong people-to-people links between the two countries.
He called for greater economic collaboration in agri-tech, renewable energy, fintech, minerals, textiles, IT services and food products, while stressing the need to strengthen links between business communities and chambers of commerce.
Gilani also advocated closer cooperation in higher education, scholarships, joint research, climate change, disaster management, cybersecurity, maritime security and peacekeeping.
During the meeting, he briefed the Australian high commissioner on the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC), of which he is the founding chairman. He said the first conference was held in Pakistan, the second in Cambodia, while the third is scheduled to take place in Indonesia in February 2027.
The two sides also exchanged views on the upcoming election for the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and other matters related to inter-parliamentary cooperation.
