Dar reaches Brussels for Pakistan-EU dialogue after concluding Moscow visit

BRUSSELS: Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday arrived in Belgium to participate in the 7th Session of Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue after concluding Russia visit, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, “Dar will co-chair the seventh session of Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue at the invitation of Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.”

The dialogue will review cooperation between Pakistan and the EU in all sectors under the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan 2019, it added. The Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue is the highest level of institutionalised interaction between the two sides, the FO said. A

During the visit, the deputy premier will also participate in the 4th EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum. He will also hold a number of bilateral meetings and engagements with the senior EU officials on the sidelines of the Forum. At the margins of the SCO Heads of Government meetings, Dar engaged with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday. The FO said both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and expressed deep satisfaction at what they described as the current positive trajectory of ties. The foreign minister also held an “informal discussion” with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Meanwhile, Dar also held meetings with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the margins of the summit.