The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar visited Strasbourg to meet with Members of European Parliament (MEPs) on June 13, 2023.
The Minister of State held meetings with MEPs Heidi Hautala, Vice President of the European Parliament and Rapporteur of New GSP+, Nicola Procaccini, Chair of Delegation for Relations with South Asia, David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Bernd Lange, Chair of International Trade Committee, Bernard Guetta, Vice Chair of Sub-Committee on Human Rights, Marie Pierre Vedrenne, Vice Chair of International Trade Committee and Maximillian Krah, Member International Trade Committee and Rapporteur for Trade Monitoring Group for South Asia.
In these meetings, views were exchanged on trade, development and key issues in regional and international politics.
Terming GSP Plus as a mutually beneficial template of economic cooperation, the Minister of State expressed the hope that the Scheme would continue to assist developing economies without adding excessive conditionalities.
Hina Rabbani Khar also impressed upon the merits of creating legal pathways for migration, considering Pakistan’s demographic dividend.
Discussing regional and international developments with the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Chair of Delegation for Relations with the countries of South Asia, the Minister of State Khar underlined the importance of investment by the international community in a unified response to global challenges, such as climate change, food insecurity, and risks associated with artificial intelligence.
In these exchanges, there was agreement to enhance exchanges and dialogue to further strengthen parliamentary ties between Pakistan and Europe.
