Luigi Di Maio, the Italian foreign minister, has arrived in Islamabad to have talks with Pakistani officials about the developing situation in Afghanistan.
He is the fourth foreign minister from a Western country to visit Pakistan since Kabul fell. Domonic Raab of the United Kingdom, Heiko Maas of Germany, and Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands had all gathered to discuss the latest developments in the war-torn country prior to his arrival.
“During talks between the two foreign ministers, views will be exchanged on the latest developments in Afghanistan. Matters pertaining to bilateral relations will also be part of the parleys,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Pakistan and Italy enjoy cordial bilateral ties as well as collaboration in the EU and multilateral fora.
On the subject of UN Security Council reforms, the two sides work closely together. Italy is home to one of the largest Pakistani diasporas in Europe.
The visit of Foreign Minister Maio will provide further impetus to the two countries’ strong collaboration in order to improve mutual coordination on regional and international issues.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi talked with his Iranian colleague Hossein Ameer Abdollahian on the phone earlier on Sunday to discuss Afghanistan, and the two decided to continue discussing the issue.
The two sides exchanged detailed analyses on the current events in Afghanistan, and they also decided to convene a virtual meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors at the representative level in the coming days.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan values its ties with Iran, while his Iranian counterpart praised Qureshi’s “concerted efforts to evolve a coordinated strategy in the backdrop of the situation in Afghanistan.”
