ISLAMABAD: The British High Commissioner-designate to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, arrived in Islamabad on Sunday afternoon to take up her new assignment as the European country’s new envoy to the South Asian country.

Marriott was appointed as the successor to the previous UK High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dr. Christian Turner, after he was transferred to another diplomatic service appointment.

Marriott has previously posted as the British high commissioner to Kenya from September 2019 to June 2023, and has also served as the British ambassador to Yemen. She has also been posted to the USA, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan and has also headed the UK’s Joint International Counter Terrorism Unit, the UK government website said.

“Jane arrives at an important time for UK-Pakistan relations, with a significant uplift in UK aid spend in Pakistan focused on strengthening climate resilience and reducing humanitarian risks,” the UK government website said.

Last month, the UK also launched the new Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which will help Pakistan to boost exports by reducing tariffs and simplifying trade terms.

“I am delighted to be here in Pakistan, a country that deeply matters to, and has a long-standing relationship with, the UK,” Marriott said in a statement. “With over 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage in the UK making up every part of British society, we have a special and ever-growing bond.”

Marriott said that with the growing threat that climate change posts to health and livelihoods across the globe, she has a “particular interest” in ensuring the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and the UK is “a green, sustainable one.”