Sweden to reopen visa services in Pakistan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the Swedish government will resume its visa services in Islamabad which will facilitate Pakistanis to visit Sweden for short stays.

This development came after bilateral political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs of Pakistan and Sweden last week.

Effective July 7, Pakistani nationals can apply for a Schengen visa from within Pakistan for visits to Sweden of up to 90 days, the statement added.

"Pakistan welcomes this positive development, which reflects the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries," the FO spokesperson said.

The Pakistani delegation to the bilateral consultations in Stockholm was led by the Additional Foreign Secretary (Europe) Ambassador Muhammad Ayub, while the Swedish side was headed by the Director General for Global Affairs from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the 19th round of bilateral political consultations, Pakistan and Sweden reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in key areas, including the green transition, digitisation, sustainable technologies, and ICT.

The two sides discussed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and views were also exchanged on regional and global issues.

— With additional input from APP