ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said his country was ready to effectively implement all international conventions relating to the GSP+, a special trade arrangement offered to developing economies by the European Union.
The GSP+ trade arrangement is offered in return for commitment by developing nations to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, environmental protection and governance. Institutionalized in 1971, the framework removes or reduces import duties on products exported to Europe from low-income countries.
This April, the European Parliament moved a resolution against Pakistan, seeking an immediate review of its eligibility for GSP+ status over what it called violence and discrimination against religious minorities and other vulnerable groups.
The development came after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) religious party resorted to violent protests, demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador to Islamabad over the publishing of anti-Islam cartoons in France.
Pakistan, which is part of a current GSP+ scheme set to end in December 2023, submitted its responses to the EU’s list of issues and follow-up questions on September 15.
On Wednesday, a European Parliament delegation for relations with South Asian nations, led by Nicola Procaccini, called on Foreign Minister Qureshi in Islamabad.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (2rd from right) speaks with a delegation of European Union in Islamabad on Nov 3, 2021. (FM Office)
“He conveyed Pakistan’s readiness to continue to work for a productive and constructive partnership and underscored the importance of regular interactions between the two sides,” the Pakistani foreign office said of Qureshi.
“EU’s GSP Plus facility to Pakistan had been mutually beneficial and played an important role in growth of trade between the two sides,” he said, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment toward effective implementation of GSP Plus-related conventions.
The foreign minister highlighted the enormous potential in diverse areas such as commerce and trade, sustainable development, and climate change, stressing the importance of translating them into tangible outcomes to further deepen Pakistan-EU relations.
He conveyed Pakistan’s readiness to continue to work for a productive and constructive partnership and underscored the importance of regular interactions between the two sides.
The EU delegation is currently on a three-day visit to Pakistan as a part of regular interactions between the two sides.
