FM on way back after completing Palestine peace mission

NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has left New York for home after completing his Palestine peace diplomatic mission that he undertook on the special instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He was seen off at John F Kennedy Airport on Saturday by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed Khan and senior mission officials.

The foreign minister had arrived here on Wednesday from Turkey, accompanied by his counterparts from Turkey, Palestine and Tunisia to take part in the urgent session of the UN General Assembly on Israeli aggression against Gaza. The session was convened by chairmen of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab Group at the United Nations. Later, the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) also joined the conveners.

During his brief stay in Turkey, Qureshi met with Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He addressed the 193-member Assembly on Thursday in which he strongly condemned Israeli aggression in Gaza, and called for deployment of international protection force to safeguard the besieged Palestinians.

Also participating in the UN General Assembly session were foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Palestine, Turkey, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, and the Maldives.

On the sidelines of the UN session, Qureshi met with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Maldives. He also held talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, UN Security Council President Ambassador Zhang Jun and General Assembly President Vulcan Bozkir, during which he stressed the need for a just and peaceful solution of the Palestinian and Kashmir issues.

During his stay in New York, the foreign minister met with members of the Pakistani community, influential businessmen and youth representatives, and briefed them on the government’s priorities. He also spoke to various local and international media representatives.