Islamabad, August 03, 2022 (PPI-OT):Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Dr. Riina Kionka calls on Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada today in his office at Islamabad. Matters of mutual interest and cooperation were discussed in this meeting. Minister for Human Rights welcomed the ambassador and said that Pakistan values its reciprocal relations with the EU that are moving in a positive direction in all spheres of cooperation.

He said that The European Union, through its assistance, has played a vital role in the socio-economic uplift of Pakistan and we expect that sectorial dialogues on emerging areas of cooperation, including environment, climate change, human rights and sustainable development will be strengthened through Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) that was signed between Pakistan and the EU in June 2019.

Minister said that the European Union is one of the largest trade and investment partners of Pakistan. GSP Plus has played an important role in expansion of trade. We remain committed and have demonstrated consistent progress in the implementation of GSP Plus related 27 international conventions.

He further stated that Pakistan has seen the European Commission’s legislative proposal for preferential market access for post-2023. We are closely engaged and have shared our views to ensure that both sides continue to benefit from the GSP Plus post-2023. Ambassador of the European Union appreciated coordinating role of the Ministry of Human Rights and its commitment for working on GSP + particularly the recent enactment of laws.

She also mentioned that Monitoring Mission has shown its satisfaction on Pakistan’s progress on implementation of 27 international conventions. However, the mission has also raised some concerns over the delay of necessary legislations in some areas that needs to be expedited. Ambassador also requested the minister for support to the European Union delegation for finalization of its reports.

At the end, minister stressed upon the close coordination for effective compliance on GSP commitments. He assured the ambassador to extend maximum support from the forum of the Ministry of Human Rights for the EU delegation to arrange its meetings for further discussions on GSP+ in the Ministry of Interior and Commerce.

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