Pakistan stresses economic diplomacy, regional connectivity at three-day envoy conference

Pakistan's caretaker foreign minister, Jalil Abbas Jillani (center), gestures for a group photo with Pakistani diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on January 6, 2024. (Photo courtesy: MOFA)

• The three-day conference brought together Pakistani diplomats from various countries who shared their inputs on the country’s foreign policy
• Extensive deliberations took place during the three-day event that were focused on steering Pakistan through present-day challenges, official says

ISLAMABAD: A three-day envoy conference concluded in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad with emphasis placed on economic diplomacy and regional connectivity to boost trade and safeguard the country’s investment interests, a Pakistani official said on Sunday.
The three-day annual conference, which ran from January 4 till January 6, brought together Pakistani diplomats from various countries who shared their views and inputs about the country’s foreign policy.
Presenting his perspective on the day one, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar emphasized the country’s foreign policy should be guided by the vision of a “progressive” and “economically ascendant” Pakistan.
On Sunday, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson for the Pakistani foreign office, said extensive deliberations took place during the three-day annual event that were focused on steering Pakistan through present-day challenges and opportunities.
“The envoys discussed key aspects of Pakistan’s foreign policy, emphasizing economic diplomacy and Pakistan’s continued commitment to purposes and principles of the United Nations charter, multilateralism, and international law,” Baloch told Arab News.
She said both the prime minister and the foreign minister shared their vision of Pakistan’s foreign policy at the three-day event.
Pakistan’s foreign policy has already undergone a major shift from geopolitics to geo-economics, with the country striving for greater regional connectivity to promote trade and people-to-people contacts within its neighborhood.
On Saturday, Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said the conference stressed the need for economic diplomacy as well as regional connectivity. He expressed pride in the invaluable inputs given by Pakistani diplomats during the conference.
“The envoys’ conference provided an opportunity to assess current foreign policy challenges and chart a sound future strategy,” Jilani said on X.