ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan and the European Union (EU) have agreed to a new Strategic Engagement Plan to build a strong partnership in diverse fields, the Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency reported.
In a Joint Press Conference along with the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Monday, the EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said that the new Strategic Partnership Plan will lay a strong foundation for partnership between Pakistan and the European Union and further boost their future cooperation.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi also expressed the confidence that the engagement plan, which will be formally signed in Brussels, will lay the foundation for a bright future between Pakistan and the EU.
Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President of the European Commissionis greeted by FM Qureshi at MOFA today @EUCouncil @FedericaMog pic.twitter.com/fHVgAKQxb5
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@DrMFaisal) March 25, 2019
The foreign minister said that trade between Pakistan and the European Union have doubled after the grant of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status to Pakistan in 2013.
Qureshi said that the present government is keen to enhance exports to Europe and fix the trade deficit issue besides creating more jobs for Pakistanis through trade with Europe.
Earlier Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Federica Mogherini led their respective sides at the fourth round of Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.