PM Abbasi, British counterpart discuss bilateral ties, matters of mutual interest

LONDON: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Friday met UK Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of Commonwealth leaders retreat here at Windsor Castle.

The two leaders discussed matters of bilateral interest.

Prime Minister Abbasi congratulated Prime Minister Theresa May on a very efficient steering of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Prime Minister Abbasi highlighted the plight of the Kashmiri people and urged the international community to respond to the current human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.

He informed Prime Minister May of Pakistan’s efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism.

He also underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral relations especially in the context of trade and investment and thanked UK for the work done by its development agency in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Abbasi also appreciated the appointment of a trade envoy by the UK government to help explore trade and investment opportunities between the two countries, especially in the post Brexit context.

He also spoke of his visit to Kabul and underscored Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister May appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in fighting terrorism and in that context recalled Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s reference to more than 100,000 Pakistanis affected in our fight against terrorism over the past 10 years.

She appreciated Prime Minister Abbasi’s efforts in reaching out to Afghanistan especially during his recent visit to Kabul.

She said that Pakistan-UK relations were strong and underscored the importance of further enhancing trade between the two countries.

In response to PM May’s reference to the recent alleged use of chemical weapons, Prime Minister Abbasi recalled Pakistan’s principled position of condemning any use of chemical weapons and upholding the principles of the UN Charter.