During the meeting which went on beside the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the leaders reviewed the full spectrum of Pakistan-European Union relations and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in high-level exchanges and engagement between the two sides.
“Very good meeting with Prime Minister @CMShehbaz at #UNGA. The EU values its partnership with Pakistan. Our Strategic Engagement Plan reflects both the breadth of this partnership and the shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law, human rights and civic space. We work together on stability and security. We thanked the Prime Minister for his initiative to mediate in the conflict between the US and Iran. Pakistan is playing an important role in support of de-escalation, dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts. We discussed how to take our partnership forward, from trade to addressing illegal migration.” — Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
PM Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its broad-based partnership with the European Union and to the full implementation of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan. He underscored the importance of sustained leadership-level engagement in providing greater direction and momentum to the relationship. PM of Pakistan highlighted the importance of the GSP+ scheme for Pakistan’s economic development, employment generation and trade with the European Union, and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to continued engagement with the EU under the framework.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments and reaffirmed the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, international law and peaceful resolution of disputes.
Shehbaz Sharif reiterated his invitation to the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission to visit Pakistan, and expressed his desire to continue working closely with the EU leadership to further deepen the mutually beneficial partnership.
