Islamabad/ Kyiv ; 10 Aug 2021 – Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mr. Dmytro Kuleba today. Views were exchanged on the entire gamut of bilateral relations.
Foreign Minister Qureshi emphasized that Pakistan highly valued its relations with Ukraine and desired further to enhance bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest including political, trade and investment, defence, education and culture.
The Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s focus on geo-economics as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and reiterated the importance of augmenting economic ties between Pakistan and Ukraine. He underlined the need for the Pakistan-Ukraine Business Council to play an instrumental role in this regard.
The two Foreign Ministers agreed to hold the next round of Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) and inaugural session of Pakistan-Ukrainian Joint Economic Commission in September 2021.
Both the Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of exchanging high-level visits between the two countries to boost bilateral relations further.
Foreign Minister Qureshi and Foreign Minister Kuleba extended invitations to each other to undertake bilateral visits. They also agreed to remain in regular contact.
The telephone conversation was in the spirit of Pakistan-Ukraine friendly relations. Our ties are underpinned by close bilateral cooperation and collaboration on issues of regional and global importance.
Ukraine MFA ; Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba had a telephone conversation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi.
The interlocutors agreed to hold shortly the first political consultations between the foreign ministries after a five-year hiatus, and the first-ever meeting of the Joint Ukrainian-Pakistani Commission on Economic Cooperation.
Dmytro Kuleba noted with pleasure that Ukrainian traders exported the critically needed volume of grain to Pakistan, which compensated for two-thirds of the deficit during last year’s food crisis. The Minister noted that Ukraine is ready to increase exports, in particular, to develop together with Pakistan trade with other countries in the region.
The ministers expressed a common desire to increase significantly the number of Pakistani students coming to study in Ukraine.
The parties exchanged invitations to pay visits.
For reference: bilateral trade between Ukraine and Pakistan shows positive dynamics, in particular in 2020 it increased by 288% compared to 2019, and in the first half of 2021 – by 58% compared to the same period in 2020.
Ukraine is among the top 20 largest exporters to Pakistan for the period from March 2020 to June 2021.
The Joint Ukrainian-Pakistani Commission on Economic Cooperation was established in 2012, however its inaugural meeting has not been held yet.
The last political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Pakistan were held in 2016.
Islamabad/ Kyiv ; 10 Aug 2021 – Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mr. Dmytro Kuleba today. Views were exchanged on the entire gamut of bilateral relations.
