Opening Remarks for the Weekly Press Briefing by Spokesperson on 22 June 2023
Thank you for joining us for the Weekly Briefing.
I will begin by sharing our condolences at the unfortunate incident of the capsized boat off the coast of Greece in which several Pakistanis are feared dead. Our hearts go out to all the victims and their families.
We have briefed the media on the developments. To recap, twelve Pakistani nationals are among the 104 survivors. They are in good physical condition. Unfortunately, we have been unable to verify the number and identity of Pakistani nationals among the deceased and missing. Greek authorities have recovered 84 bodies. Their identification will take place through DNA matching. Relevant authorities have started collecting DNA samples from the families of those suspected to be on-board and will be sharing this with the Greek authorities.
Ambassador Aamar Aftab and his team at our Mission in Greece have worked round the clock for recovery and identification of Pakistani nationals who are missing or feared dead and for providing relief to the survivors. Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has spoken to his Greek counterpart to discuss arrangements for the recovery of the missing, identification of the bodies and providing relief to the survivors. Our efforts will continue.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is in Paris to attend the New Global Financing Pact Summit at the invitation of the President of France Emmanuel Macron from 22 to 23 June 2023.
Today, the Prime Minister will attend the Summit. He will present Pakistan’s perspective and proposals for reform of International Financial Institutions, climate finance, green infrastructure, attainment of the SDGs and solutions related to debt. The Prime Minister will also hold meetings with participating leaders including the President of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of China Li Qiang and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
An important development this week was the visit of Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia to Islamabad and the Fifth Round of Bilateral Political Consultations co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and Foreign Secretary Dr. Asad Majeed Khan. The two sides engaged in comprehensive and productive discussions to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, deepen understanding on regional and global developments, and enhance cooperation and dialogue in the context of multilateral organizations including the United Nations and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Foreign Secretary also visited Iran for the 12th round of Pakistan-Iran Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC). The two sides agreed to enhance and diversify bilateral trade and expand cooperation in energy, transport connectivity, education and people-to-people exchanges.
The 13th session of the Pakistan-European Union Joint Commission is currently underway in Brussels. Secretary Economic Affairs Division Dr. Kazim Niaz is leading the Pakistan delegation while the EU side is led by Deputy Managing Head of Asia Pacific Division of the European External Action Service, Ms. Paula Pampolini. The Sub-Group of the Joint Commission on Development and the Sub-Group on Trade have met on 20 and 21 June respectively. The two sides discussed Pakistan-EU Development Partnership, GSP Plus and the upcoming new GSP Plus scheme, and market access for Pakistan. The Sub-Group on Democracy, Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights will meet today. Discussions at the Plenary Session to be held tomorrow will focus on migration and mobility, climate change, cooperation in education, culture, science and information technology.
Formed in 2007, the Pakistan-EU Joint Commission sets the priorities for development cooperation between Pakistan and the European Union, makes recommendations for promoting the mutually agreed priorities, and oversees implementation of sectoral agreements.
Pakistan strongly condemns the recent raid by Israeli occupation forces on Jenin refugee camp, in which four Palestinians, including a 14-year-old, were killed and more than 40 civilians were injured.
We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and once again urge the international community to take prompt action to protect the Palestinian people.
Pakistan believes that peaceful resolution of the issue lies in the implementation of the two-state solution. We call for the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.
Earlier this week the international community commemorated the World Refugee Day. This Day is a reminder of the suffering of Kashmiris who have been evicted from their land and forced to live in exile. They were forced to flee violence, persecution and gross human rights abuses. Thousands of people of Jammu and Kashmir are spending a homeless life and are unable to return to their homeland. India must bring an end to the climate of fear and persecution in IIOJK and bring peace in the lives of the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan will continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
Now some upcoming announcements:
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will undertake an official visit to Japan on 2-3 July at the invitation of the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. In Tokyo, the Foreign Minister will hold substantive talks with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. They will discuss bilateral trade and investment, cooperation in science & technology, education, information technology, culture and human resource development. They will also discuss important regional and global developments and cooperation and dialogue in multilateral forums.
The second round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Pakistan and Kazakhstan will be held on 26th June 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan & West Asia) Ambassador Syed Ahsan Raza Shah will lead the Pakistan delegation while the Kazakh side will be led by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Kanat Tumyst.
The two sides will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in political, trade, economic, connectivity, science and technology and cultural and people to people relations.
The inaugural session of the Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) between Pakistan and Kazakhstan was held on 28th February 2020 in Islamabad.
Thank you.
Editor: Raja Kamran