GSP Plus termed ‘a template for mutually beneficial economic cooperation’

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has termed the GSP Plus as a template for mutually beneficial economic cooperation between Pakistan and the European Union and expressed the hope that the scheme would continue to support developing economies without adding excessive conditionalities.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said that at the invitation of the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jiliani visited Brussels from 27-28 November 2023, to participate in the International Conference on Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling.

At the conference, the caretaker foreign minister noted the robust engagement between Pakistan and the European Union on migration and mobility and emphasised the need for legal pathways for migration to curb irregular migration and migrant smuggling.

He underscored the need for impactful international collaboration to create effective regulatory structures to tackle migrant smuggling while incentivising legal means for human mobility. The foreign minister also highlighted the steps taken by the Government of Pakistan to curb irregular migration.

On the sidelines of the conference, the caretaker foreign minister held meetings with the senior EU officials and members of the European Parliament. These included: EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson; Vice President of the European Parliament and the Rapporteur of the new GSP Plus Scheme Heidi Hautala; Chairperson of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs David Macalister; and EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpalinen.

In his meeting with Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the caretaker foreign minister welcomed the progress under the recently launched Migration and Mobility Dialogue, including opening legal pathways for migration and operationalisation of Talent Partnership.

The foreign minister’s conversations with David McAllister, Heidi Hautala, and Urpalinen focused on the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation in climate change, food security, green technologies, and artificial intelligence.

Terming GSP Plus as a template for mutually beneficial economic cooperation, the caretaker foreign minister expressed the hope that the scheme would continue to support developing economies without adding excessive conditionalities.

Regional developments in the Middle East and South Asia, including the situation in the IIOJK were also discussed in these meetings. Caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani underlined that the recent developments in the Middle East have shown that long-standing disputes should not be allowed to fester.

In a separate interaction of the caretaker foreign minister with a number of members of the European Parliament, strengthening dialogue and cooperation between Pakistan and the EU and expansion of parliamentary exchanges and people-to-people engagement were discussed. Participating MEPs included: Rasa Jukneviien, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, AngaHaga, Bernhard Zimniok, Tomas Zdechovsky, Herve Juvin, and Belgian Senator Allessia Claes.

The visit of the caretaker foreign minister provided a timely opportunity for enhanced engagement and dialogue with EU institutions under the Strategic Engagement Plan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023