ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is eyeing stronger trade, investment , institutional linkages and sectoral cooperation with the European Union (EU), Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday as EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas arrived in Islamabad on an official visit.
Kallas is in Islamabad to co-chair the 8th session of the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue with Dar. The Strategic Dialogue is the highest level of institutionalized interaction between the two sides, during which they review cooperation across all sectors under the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan 2019.
Speaking to reporters at a joint news conference, Dar told Kallas that both countries can work together in several areas, including trade and investment. He noted that the EU strategic vision seeks to elevate Pakistan and EU’s engagement into a more comprehensive and forward-looking framework.
“We believe this vision document can serve as an important foundation for deepening our political understanding, expanding sectoral cooperation and strengthening institutional linkages between Pakistan and EU,” Dar said in televised remarks.
“So, the continuation of the Strategic Dialogue demonstrates our shared resolve to impart greater momentum to Pakistan-EU relations and to shape forward-looking partnership.”
Kallas commended Pakistan for facilitating US-Iran talks, noting that the conflict is impacting several countries around the world by driving energy and fertilizer prices higher. She noted that Pakistan and EU were both working toward regional stability.
“So, I really welcome in this regard the strong momentum for EU-Pakistan trade relations,’ she said, noting that the continent remains Pakistan’s largest export destination.
She said Pakistan continues to be a leading beneficiary of the General Scheme of Preference Plus scheme (GSP Plus), adding that it shows the two sides’ partnership is not only commercially significant but also a “driver of growth.”
The GSP Plus scheme grants countries’ exports duty-free access to the European market in exchange for voluntarily agreeing to implement 27 international core conventions, including those on human and civil rights.
“Beyond trade and investment, there are other areas where we can explore the deepening of our ties,” Kallas said. “So when it comes to resilience building, when it comes to climate, when it comes to digital infrastructure, when it comes to migration mobility. And really, these are investments in long-term partnership.”
The European External Action Service (EEAS), EU’s diplomatic service, said in a statement last week that Kallas would meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir during her visit.
“During the visit, the HRVP will also meet with representatives of think thanks and academia,” it said.
