ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called for a renewed focus on geo-economics by Asian countries and stressed on the need for the promotion of a rule-based global order.
The foreign minister was participating in a high-level panel discussion on ‘Regional Cooperation in Asia’ along with the foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Turkey.
Qureshi also highlighted the challenges being faced by Asia in form of unresolved disputes, tensions induced from within and without, renewed arms race, containment policies, unilateralism, poverty, COVID-19 and climate change.
Foreign Minister Qureshi is on an official visit to Turkey to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where several global political leaders and diplomats have gathered for discussions on important thematic global issues. The theme of the Forum is ‘Innovative Diplomacy: New Era, New Approaches’.
Highlighting the potential of Asia in the 21st Century, the foreign minister drew attention to the possibilities of cooperation that existed on the continent.
He emphasised that connectivity and greater regional integration in form of trade and investment would pave the way for a successful Asian century. He noted that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative, offered great opportunities for the countries of the region.
Foreign minister Qureshi also underlined three pillars of Pakistan’s policy of regional connectivity, development partnerships, and peace and prosperity.
In his remarks, he also laid out five steps to promote greater regional cooperation in Asia including focus on sustainable development, poverty alleviation, engagement with the international community and international financial institutions for debt relief for the developing countries in Asia in order to provide them with fiscal space to deal with the challenges, arresting illicit financial flows out of Asia gained from proceeds of crime and corruption and tackling climate change.
During the discussion, the foreign ministers on the panel called for increased multilateralism to deal with the challenges faced by Asia and agreed on the need for a renewed focus on transit and connectivity projects in the region.
