ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to host a video conference with health ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for regional response to the spread of coronavirus.
According to a statement by the Foreign Office, Qureshi spoke to his Bangladeshi counterpart, A.K. Abdul Momen, by phone on Wednesday and discussed the challenges faced by all regional countries amid the pandemic.
The Pakistani minister said the conference was aimed at enhancing cooperation between member countries and development partners in the health sector, the statement read.
“SAARC should evaluate and coordinate on the economic and social disruption caused by COVID-19 and experts from the member countries should commence work in this regard immediately,” Qureshi said, as quoted by the Foreign Office.
Pakistan’s invitation comes after a video conference of SAARC leaders held on March 15, on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to devise a joint strategy to control the spread of coronavirus in the region.
At the online meeting, Modi proposed creating a COVID-19 emergency fund to be used by South Asian nations to combat the spread of the disease.
During his Wednesday call with Momen, Qureshi said the emergency fund should be run under the secretary general of SAARC and ways of its utilization should be designed as soon as possible, according to the Foreign Office’s statement.
SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It came into being in 1985 with a stated purpose of regional and economic integration.
