Pakistan, UK vow to work closely

Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Saturday vowed to work closely in fight against coronavirus for effective containment of the outbreak and concurred that enhanced global cooperation was key to combat the pandemic.
The understanding was reached during a telephonic conversation between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi with his British counterpart Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab, in which the two sides discussed matters related to the global outbreak of coronavirus, and prospects of enhanced bilateral cooperation to jointly tackle the pandemic, the Foreign Office said.
In his conversation, Foreign Minister Qureshi conveyed deep condolences over the tragic loss of innocent lives in the UK, due to the COVID-19 and also lauded the steps being taken by the UK authorities to combat the infectious virus and thanked British authorities for taking care of Pakistani community in the UK.
He informed Foreign Secretary Raab about the latest situation of outbreak in Pakistan and the steps taken by the government for its containment. The foreign minister underscored that the pandemic was one of the greatest challenges to confront humanity in the century.
Qureshi expressed concerns over the continuing communication blackout in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which was depriving eight million Kashmiris of critical information and essential medical supplies needed to effectively contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also reiterated the need to lift sanctions against Iran, enabling it to utilise its resources to save precious human lives. The foreign minister highlighted that debt relief for developing countries like Pakistan would enable them to devote greater resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and mitigate its economic fallout.
The British foreign secretary thanked the foreign minister for the call and his expression of solidarity. He concurred that enhanced global cooperation was key to combat the pandemic. "The two sides agreed to work closely and to stay in contact for effective containment of the outbreak," the Foreign Office said.