NEW YORK – Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will address the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York today for the first time after assuming the office of the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister landed in New York on September 18 to attend the annual session of the General Assembly, which is being held under the theme “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet”.
PM Abbasi will present Pakistan’s stance on important international matters, including the recently announced US policy regarding Afghanistan in which American President Donald Trump has accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to terrorists.
The premier will also highlight the miseries of Muslims in Kashmir and Myanmar during his address, and will urge the global community to make efforts to resolve these issues.
On the sidelines of the session, the Prime Minister also held meetings with international leaders and addressed different gatherings.
Pak-US Meeting
The Prime Minister held a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence where both sides agreed to remain engaged over the Afghan issue.
Vice President Mike Pence during the meeting said that the US wanted to have a long term partnership with Islamabad in order to bring peace and stability to the region.
In response, PM Abbasi said Pakistan is an active player in the war against terrorism, adding that the war caused huge losses to the country.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua talking to media following the meeting said that the Prime Minister had also informed the US vice president about the country’s stand on Trump’s recent Afghan policy.
She added that both sides also decided to continue talks over the Afghanistan issue, Radio Pakistan reported.
She further said that an American delegation will visit Pakistan in October next month to ease tensed relations.
OIC Moot
The Prime Minister also attended Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Contact Group meeting in New York.
He urged the OIC to step up for the safety of Rohingya Muslims, who are becoming victims of ethnic cleansing backed by the Myanmar government. He also termed the recent incidents in Rakhine state as a “text-book” case of ethnic cleansing, Radio Pakistan reported.
Abbasi Meets Erdogan
Pakistan and Turkey Tuesday discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation and agreed to work together for early finalisation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost bilateral trade.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met here on the sidelines of the 72nd UNGA Session.
They had an in-depth exchange of views on ways to further strengthen bilateral relations besides reviewing regional peace and security situation. They agreed to continue joint efforts for bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Both the sides noted that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and stressed the need for efforts for a regional approach for an internal political settlement in Afghanistan through an Afghan-owned Afghan-led peace process.
