Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar Monday stressed the importance of holistic policy framework and enabling the domestic ecosystem for realizing Pakistan’s maritime and blue economy potential.
Hina Rabbani was speaking at annual talks between Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Pakistan Naval Headquarters.She urged a pro-active approach for seeking effective international partnerships in the maritime domain.
The Foreign Secretary Dr. Asad Majeed Khan and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) Vice Admiral Ovais A Bilgrami led the respective sides for the talks. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar presided the meeting. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs was also represented in the meeting.
The meeting provided an opportunity for a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s maritime interests including in the domain of maritime security, blue economy, disaster management, environmental protection and climate change imperatives. Pakistan’s participation in various regional and international forums dealing with maritime issues and opportunities for international collaboration and capacity-building in various fields were also discussed. The participants of the meeting were unanimous on the need for early finalization of a comprehensive national maritime policy framework to synergise the efforts of all relevant stakeholders in the maritime domain for a holistic pursuit of the maritime interests of Pakistan.
The participants pledged to deepen their interaction and coordination and work with the relevant stakeholders for the achievement of this objective.
