ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reiterated his country's commitment to a preferential trade arrangement with European nations while promising effective implementation of several international conventions during his meeting with a senior European Union official on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on Friday.
According to an official statement released by the foreign office in Islamabad, Qureshi discussed "the entire spectrum of Pakistan-EU relations," including the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus arrangement, during his interaction with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles.
"Emphasizing the importance of bilateral trade, the Foreign Minister highlighted that GSP Plus had been a mutually beneficial undertaking and played an important role in the growth of trade between the two sides," said the statement. "He reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment towards the GSP Plus preferential trade regime and effective implementation of the twenty-seven related international conventions."
The European Parliament adopted a resolution in April, urging its member nations to review Pakistan's GSP Plus status due to the rising number of blasphemy cases in the country.
The GSP Plus is a special trade arrangement offered to developing economies by European nations in return for their commitment to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, environmental protection and governance.
Fontelles said in a Twitter post he had a "good discussion" with the Pakistani foreign minister, adding that he had raised human rights concerns, including the blasphemy law, during the conversation.
The foreign office also said in its statement that Qureshi discussed "rising Islamophobia, racism and populism" with the EU official, saying the entire international community "must show a common resolve against xenophobia, intolerance and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief."
He also highlighted Pakistan's contributions to the Afghan peace process and emphasized that the conflict should only be settled through an Afghan-led and -owned political process.
"The two leaders agreed to continue to maintain high level engagement to further strengthen Pakistan-EU relations," the statement added.
