France will host an international conference aiming at contributing to the rehabilitation and the reconstruction of flood-affected areas of Pakistan.
This was the outcome of a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.
The two leaders besides exchanging views on enhancement of bilateral relations also agreed on mobilizing international support for Pakistan to help recover and rebuild its economy on a sustainable footing in the aftermath of the recent devastating climate-induced floods in Pakistan.
In order to gather the relevant international financial partners and the development partners, France will host an international conference before the end of the year aiming at contributing to the rehabilitation and the reconstruction of flood-affected areas of Pakistan and, with the help of climate-resilient reconstruction-related financing, to accelerate transition to renewable energy.
Pakistan, Iran to further deepen cooperation
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The prime minister recalled his warm and cordial meeting with President Raisi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand on 15 September 2022 and underscored his commitment to enhance Pakistan-Iran relations in diverse fields.
The prime minister reiterated his gratitude to President Raisi and to the people of Iran for their solidarity and support with the Pakistani nation in the wake of massive floods.
During the meeting, the two leaders agreed to further deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation across a broad range of areas including economic and trade, energy and connectivity, cultural contacts, and people-to-people links.
Shehbaz conveyed that Pakistan highly valued the Iranian Supreme Leader’s strong and steadfast support for the just struggle of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Shehbaz hoped that on the invitation extended by him President Raisi would be able to undertake an early visit to Pakistan.
Shehbaz lauds Spain's support
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a bilateral meeting with President of Spain Pedro Sanchez on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional issues.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the steady growth of bilateral exchanges and increase in trade and investment.
They agreed to utilize the existing institutional mechanisms to fully realize the potential of bilateral relations in all areas of common interest.
Shehbaz appreciated the support and solidarity of the Spanish government in the wake of climate-induced massive floods in Pakistan and thanked for the relief assistance extended by Spain for the affected people.
Shehbaz shared the details of the devastation caused by the floods to crops, housing, livestock and critical infrastructure. Shehbaz underlined that Pakistan being a negligible contributor to global carbon emissions was among the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.
He hoped that the international community would step up and help mitigate the adverse effects of the floods through active participation in the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.
Shehbaz also stressed the importance of further deepening the multifaceted Pakistan-Spain relations with a particular emphasis on inter-parliamentary ties, security and defence cooperation, collaboration in energy sector, and people-to-people links.
In the regional context, Shehbaz underlined Pakistan’s support for an inclusive, peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan. He added that Afghanistan faced a grave humanitarian situation as well as formidable challenges to its economy.
Shehbaz stressed that sustained, practical and meaningful engagement of the international community with Afghanistan was essential for ensuring the welfare of the Afghan people and for promoting the shared goals of peace, security and development in the country.
Shehbaz extended an invitation to President Sanchez to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.
Shehbaz, Austria's Chancellor discuss issues
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer on the sidelines of the 77th session of UN General Assembly.
During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional issues of common interest.
Shehbaz highlighted the immense devastation caused by the unprecedented climate-induced floods in Pakistan and the government’s actions to address the colossal challenge.
Shehbaz thanked the Austrian government for its expression of solidarity with the affected people and for extending flood relief assistance. Shehbaz stressed that Pakistan had become a major victim of the adverse impacts of climate change, while its contribution to global carbon emissions was less than one percent.
He added that collective action by the world community to meaningfully and substantially address the climate challenge was imperative.
In the bilateral context, Shehbaz said that Pakistan viewed Austria as an important country and a key member of the European Union. Shehbaz Minister underscored that the Austrian Foreign Minister’s visit to Pakistan in March 2022 imparted a strong momentum to bilateral exchanges and growing cooperation.
Shehbaz added that Pakistan and Austria enjoyed long-standing, cooperative relations and there was a huge potential for enhancing mutually beneficial collaboration in diverse areas, particularly energy, IT, higher education, and climate change.
Shehbaz thanked Austria for its steadfast support for the GSP+ scheme, stressing that this mutually-beneficial arrangement had yielded positive results for both sides. Shehbaz invited Chancellor Nehammer to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience to further carry forward the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Austria relations.
