Pakistan urges Spain to help avert humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who visited Spain on an official tour, urged Spanish leadership to play a role to avoid the impending humanitarian crisis in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a handout on Thursday which cited that Qureshi exchanged views with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares.

During the meeting, Pakistan urged Spain to play its role within the European Union to engage the interim government of Afghanistan as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan looms, stressing that peace in Kabul is paramount for the stability and prosperity of the region.

FM @SMQureshiPTI undertook a 2-day visit to #Spain. During the trip, he met the Spanish Foreign Minister, Minister of Industry, Trade & Tourism, President of Congress of Deputies, Members of Academia & SG UNWTO.

Here is a recap ⬇️@SpainMFA@PakinSpain

🇵🇰🤝🇪🇸 #PakFMinSpain pic.twitter.com/wtTPrN4Q7z

— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 12, 2022

Meanwhile, Qureshi also shared his views on existing bilateral trade with the Spanish foreign minister. He highlighted the major milestones as well as key aspects of the bilateral relationship marked by shared perceptions on a range of regional and international issues, including terrorism and United Nations (UN) reforms.

The two sides also agreed for the early convening of the fifth round of Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABC) for effective cooperation. PTI minister also reiterated that Pakistan considered Spain as an important and reliable trading partner within the EU.

Highlighting Islamabad’s progress on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Action Plan, he stressed that proceedings of the forum should not be politicized. He appreciated that Spain recognized Pakistan’s efforts in the domain of counter-terrorism financing and anti-money laundering.

Furthermore, he also conveyed the concerns of Pakistan-origin Spanish citizens who have to renounce Pakistani nationality in line with local law due to the non-existence of dual nationality agreements between the two countries.

Mr. Qureshi also urged the Spanish government to review the Pakistan travel advisory following remarkable improvement in the law and order situation.

FM visited Spain at the invitation of his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares. During his stay, he called on his counterpart, presidents of Spain’s Congress of Deputies and Foreign Relations Committee, Spanish trade minister, and members of the Spanish parliament.