Economic stability vital for best foreign policy: Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi Thursday said as economic stability was vital for the best foreign policy, the volume of trade and exports with various countries must be enhanced to strengthen the national economy.

“In order to implement the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and to strengthen Pakistan’s economic and trade relations, we have practically started economic diplomacy,” he said while presiding over a high level meeting about economic diplomacy here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting was attended through video-link by 30 ambassadors from Pakistan’s missions abroad.

The foreign minister was briefed by the ambassadors about their efforts to achieve Pakistan's trade targets set for their respective countries.

Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed his pleasure over the efforts being made by various missions to promote and strengthen the country’s trade and economic relations, and the positive results.

He recalled that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce organized an “Engage Africa” conference last year for the promotion of trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Africa.

Taking the process forward, the foreign minister said, the first Pakistan Africa Trade Development Conference was successfully held in Nairobi on January 30-31 in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, he added.

The foreign minister said he under the “Connect FM” programme invited the top businessmen to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and exchanged in detail the views regarding economic diplomacy and conveyed their suggestions to the country’s diplomats abroad.

Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said there was a need to work hard to mitigate the effects of coronavirus and achieve economic stability.

The meeting was attended through video link by Pakistan’s ambassadors in Europe, America, Africa, South Asia, Central Asia and China.