Pakistan and Netherlands have agreed to further strengthen the relations in all areas of mutual interest at bilateral and multilateral levels.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Netherlands counterpart Ms Hanke Bruins Slot on the sidelines of the 78th Session of UN General Assembly in New York. During the meeting, both sides discussed matters of mutual interest.
Highlighting friendly ties between the two countries spanning over 75 years, both the leaders resolved to further strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, agriculture, dairy, water management and IT sectors.
While reiterating importance of trade and economic ties with the Netherlands, Foreign Minister Jilani appreciated the continuous support extended to Pakistan by the Netherlands for the GSP Plus status.
Expressing concerns at the recent rise in Islamophobic incidents in some European countries, Jalil Abbas Jilani laid emphasis that such abhorrent actions are oblivious to religious sentiments of over 1.5 billion Muslims and cannot be justified under garb of freedom of speech.
He urged his Dutch counterpart to take effective measures to prevent such Islamophobic acts in future.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani met his Danish counterpart Lars Løkke Rasmussen on the sidelines of 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the growing bilateral ties between Pakistan and Denmark, in the wake of recent Ministerial-level interactions.
The Foreign Minister underscored the importance of Denmark for Pakistan, both bilaterally as well as in the context of the European Union. He also thanked the Danish government for their support for the flood victims.
The two sides agreed to implement the Green Framework Engagement agreement through Joint Action Plan between Denmark and Pakistan. Besides bilateral subjects, regional and international developments also came under discussions.
Addressing the rising tide of Islamophobia in Europe, Foreign Minister Jilani welcomed the decision by the Government of Denmark to propose a bill which would outlaw the burning of the Holy Quran and other Holy books.
