ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Belgium have agreed on continued engagement and collaboration to strengthen bilateral relations by exploring new avenues of cooperation for mutual prosperity.

This was agreed during a meeting between caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbibon the sidelines of the 3rd Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Belgium on Friday, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

During the meeting, it stated that the two sides reviewed Pakistan-Belgium bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction on their positive trajectory.

It further stated that the duo also discussed cooperation in trade, education, and people-to-people contacts. “The two sides agreed on the importance of continued engagement and collaboration to strengthen bilateral relations and to explore new avenues of cooperation for mutual prosperity,” it added.

Meanwhile, caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani also met his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg on the sidelines of the 3rd Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Belgium. They reviewed the trajectory of Pakistan-Austria relations and agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation. Regional and global developments were also discussed during the meeting, the statement added.

In his meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno also on the sidelines of the 3rd Indo-Pacific Forum, caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani discussed the overall bilateral relations between the two countries.

A statement of the Foreign Office said that the two foreign ministers reaffirmed the historical ties between Pakistan and Spain, and agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations and explore new pathways of engagement and cooperation. They also discussed regional and global developments and underlined the need for collective approaches to confront common challenges.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024