ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be visiting Belgium from December 6 to 8 to co-chair the sixth round of Pakistan-European Union Strategic Dialogue, the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday.
Pakistan and Belgium enjoy cordial and friendly relations, based on shared values of democracy, pluralism, mutual respect and close cooperation.
Over the years, the partnership has grown stronger in diverse fields, including political, economic, trade, education and culture, and people-to-people contacts. With a trade volume of $982 million, Belgium is the fifth largest trading partner of Pakistan in the EU.
The foreign minister is visiting Brussels on the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium Sophie Wilmes, the foreign office said in a statement.
“As a key component of the visit, the foreign minister will co-chair the 6th round of Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue with EU High Representative and Vice President Josep Borrell,” the statement read.
“The European Union is one of the largest trade and investment partners of Pakistan and the current volume of bilateral trade stands at US $10.883 billion. Pakistan’s relations with EU are manifested in frequent and close engagements through structured dialogues.”
The two sides signed the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) in June 2019, which provides solid framework and blue print for future cooperation. This would be the first in-person session of the strategic dialogue since the signing of the landmark SEP, according to the foreign office.
It follows the seventh round of Pakistan-EU Political Dialogue, which was virtually co-chaired by Pakistani Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and EU Deputy Secretary-General Enrique Mora on December 3.
FM Qureshi leaves for Belgium for sixth round of Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue
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FM Qureshi leaves for Belgium for sixth round of Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue
- He will co-chair the dialogue with EU High Representative and Vice President Josep Borrell
- EU is one of largest trade and investment partners of Pakistan with a volume of $10.883 billion
Pakistan set to launch 5G spectrum auction process today
- Finance and IT ministers to inaugurate next-generation mobile services auction
- 5G rollout expected to boost Pakistan’s digital economy and telecom sector
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to formally launch the process for auctioning spectrum for next-generation mobile services, or 5G, at a ceremony in Islamabad today, Tuesday, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications said.
The auction marks a key step toward introducing fifth-generation mobile technology in Pakistan, where more than 190 million people use mobile phones but most networks currently operate on fourth-generation (4G) infrastructure.
“Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja will address the inauguration ceremony of the Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS)/5G spectrum auction and formally launch the auction,” the IT ministry said in a media alert.
Officials say the rollout of 5G could significantly improve Internet speeds and support the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy, including sectors such as e-commerce, fintech, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Pakistan, a country of more than 240 million people, is one of the world’s largest telecom markets by population. However, the rollout of 5G has faced delays in recent years due to regulatory, economic and spectrum-allocation challenges.
The government has previously said the spectrum auction will determine which telecom operators will acquire the frequencies needed to deploy 5G infrastructure across the country.
Further details on the auction framework and timeline are expected to be shared during the ceremony, which will be broadcast live on state television.
