On 6 March, the EU and Pakistan held their 9th Political Dialogue in Islamabad.

The dialogue covered a broad range of regional and global developments and foreign policy issues, notably the many crises the international community is facing. The meeting also provided an opportunity to take stock of EU-Pakistan relations against the background of the recent general elections. In this context, the EU encouraged Pakistan to address the recommendations put forward by the EU Election Expert Mission that has been deployed upon invitation of the Pakistani government.

The EU underlined its interest to continue engaging with Pakistan as an important partner in a volatile region. The EU underlined that bilateral relations with Pakistan should be built upon the shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

The EU and Pakistan agreed on the need to further step up the swift implementation of the EU-Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plan and stressed the importance of continuing exchanges on important challenges such as counterterrorism and broader security issues while also continuing to engage on topics of climate change, energy and research cooperation. The EU invited Pakistan to Brussels for the next comprehensive Migration and Mobility Dialogue with a view to intensifying cooperation on tackling illegal trafficking of human beings. The EU will continue its engagement on trade through GSP+ and encouraged Pakistan to continue implementing the international conventions attached to the trade preferential scheme. The EU and Pakistan also agreed on the need to stand up for freedom of religion and belief. The EU will also continue to engage with Pakistan on development cooperation, notably on jointly agreed priority areas of green and sustainable development, human capital land and rule of law/human rights.

The EU and Pakistan also exchanged views on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and the situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the recent Doha meeting organised by the UN Secretary General António Guterres with the aim of crafting a coherent international response to the challenges emanating from Afghanistan. The EU and Pakistan also discussed the EU’s priorities as outlined in its Indo-Pacific Strategy.

They agreed that multilateralism is at risk, requiring a concerted joint effort to preserve the rules-based international order.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Political Director Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs at the European External Action Service and Ambassador Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi Foreign Secretary at the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The next high-level political dialogue will take place in Brussels.