Bilawal to visit US at Blinken’s invitation tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, at the invitation of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, will visit New York for the ministerial meeting on 'Global Food Security Call to Action' to be held at the United Nations on May 18 (tomorrow). He will be accompanied by senior officials from the Foreign Office.

Prior to reaching New York, he will reach the UAE today to offer condolences to the Al-Nahyan family and leadership and people of the UAE on the death of the late president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

"While in New York, the foreign minister will have other important engagements on the sidelines, including a bilateral meeting with Antony Blinken," said the Foreign Office. The midnight oil was burnt at the Foreign Office together with its mission in Washington to seek a bilateral meeting with Blinken.

The meetings in New York will go a long way towards resetting ties with the United States, which saw its lows during the Imran Khan government. The invitation to attend the New York meetings was extended when Blinken telephoned Bilawal to congratulate him on taking office.

"We exchanged views on strengthening mutually-beneficial broad-based relationship and promotion of peace, development and security and agreed that engagement with mutual respect is the way forward," Bilawal had tweeted.

The New York meeting will bring together a regionally diverse group of countries including those most affected by food insecurity and those in a position to take action to address it. Ministers will be invited to speak on humanitarian needs and longer-term development efforts required to save lives and build resilience for the future.

"The foreign minister will also participate in the Open Debate of the UN Security Council on 'Maintenance of International Peace and Security – Conflict and Food Security' on May 19,” added the Foreign Office.

Bilawal will highlight Pakistan's perspective and policy priorities in the two meetings. "Pakistan will continue to play a proactive role in supporting international efforts to advance the shared objectives of a peaceful and stable world free of conflict, poverty and hunger," said the Foreign Office. Earlier, commenting on Bilawal’s visit to the UAE, it noted that after the demise of Sheikh Khalifa, the UAE lost a visionary and statesman who profoundly transformed the country.