WEEKLY BRIEFING OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS


Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Spokesperson of the Pakistani Foreign Office, claimed important achievements on the diplomatic front for Islamabad during the current year and said that Pakistan has improved relations with other important countries of the world, including the United States, in 2022.

Talking about Pakistan's diplomatic activities during the current year at a weekly briefing in Islamabad, she said that in 2022, Pakistan managed to get out of the gray list of FATF while progress was made in bilateral negotiations with the US on climate change, investment and energy.

Pakistan has improved its relations with friendly countries this year. Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and other officials made important foreign visits.

Regarding the upcoming year on the diplomatic front, the spokesperson of the Foreign Office said: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will chair a joint conference on floods and climate change on January 9.

Relations with important countries, including America, China, Europe, Middle East, improved further.

Pakistani missions around the world informed friendly countries about the damage caused by the flood disasters in Pakistan, as a result of which the country received aid.

During the current year, Pakistan's position was appreciated in the international COP 22 conference on climate change in November, while the Secretary General of the United Nations also paid an important visit to Pakistan during the same year.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan has also worked for peace and rehabilitation in Afghanistan.

The spokesperson of the Foreign Office regarding Pakistan-Afghanistan relations said that during 2022, Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs held meetings with Afghan officials at various forums.

Afghanistan is a landlocked neighboring country, and Pakistan has been providing trade facilities to it. Pakistan has always maintained generous and open-hearted relations with Afghanistan. Pakistan provided a way to make it possible to supply Indian wheat to Afghanistan.

After tensions on the Pak-Afghan border Pakistan's governor of affairs in the capital, Kabul, was attacked, on which Islamabad is in contact with Afghan officials.

Discussions are also ongoing with the Afghan authorities on border security issues.

Pakistan believes in peace on neighborly relations. Pakistan can negotiate on all disputes including Kashmir.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said that Pakistan has given the dossier on Indian state terrorism to the United Nations, while the Secretary General of the Islamic Cooperation Conference (OIC) visited Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir on December 11.

From Pakistani side the relations with India are clear, now it is up to the Indian authorities to show responsibility.

Pakistan will continue to try to solve the Kashmir problem according to the resolutions of the United Nations, and Islamabad wants conditional talks with Delhi.

She further included that on the social media propaganda regarding CPEC and China that "propaganda is being done to spoil Pakistan-China relations."

Commenting on the security alert of various countries including America, Australia and Saudi Arabia, she said that Pakistan's security agencies are always ready to protect foreign diplomats and citizens.

At last she said that No foreign embassy has given any specific information about terrorism.