ISLAMABAD: The fifth round of Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) between Pakistan and Cuba was held via video conference on March 17, 2021. Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Additional Secretary (Americas), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, led the respective delegations. Ambassador of Pakistan to Cuba, Sahebzada A Khan, joined the meeting via video-link from Havana.

During the consultations, a wide range of bilateral, regional and multilateral matters of mutual interest were discussed. The Additional Secretary underscored that Pakistan and Cuba enjoyed a friendly and cordial relationship based on mutual respect and understanding. He emphasized the need to identify areas to further expand trade and educational linkages.

The Additional Secretary underlined Pakistan’s desire to enhance mutual cooperation in the fields of higher education, sports, culture and disaster risk management, and put forward various proposals in this regard. He reiterated the offer of training courses at the Foreign Service Academy, Islamabad for Cuban diplomats.

The Additional Secretary briefed the Cuban side on the measures taken by the Government of Pakistan to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 on the lives of the common people and the steps taken to curb the pandemic.

The Additional Secretary highlighted the plight of the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and noted that the situation in IIOJK had worsened due to military siege during these challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Additional Secretary, on behalf of the Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, extended an invitation to the Foreign Minister of Cuba to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient date—PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021