Islamabad: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met a group of resident envoys representing African countries as well as select Asian countries over lunch today.

The meeting was attended by the Ambassadors of Algeria and Sudan as well as High Commissioners of Bangladesh, Brunei, Malaysia, Mauritius, and South Africa. Other participants included the Charge d’ Affaires of Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe.

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance Pakistan attached to Africa. He expressed the desire to strengthen ties with African countries, at the bilateral as well as regional level. While acknowledging that Pakistan and Africa had enjoyed excellent political relations over the years, the Prime Minister stressed the need to enhance trade and economic linkages which had yet to realize their full potential. He mentioned that the 4th Pakistan-Africa Trade Conference was under way in Cairo, Egypt from 9-11 January, 2024 where Pakistan was represented by a large business delegation led by the Commerce Minister.

The Prime Minister also expressed deep appreciation for Pakistan’s historic ties with South East Asian countries, particularly Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. He said Pakistan was keen to expand bilateral trade ties with these key countries and sought their assistance in strengthening Pakistan’s engagement with ASEAN.

Referring to the ongoing situation in Gaza, the Prime Minister stressed the need for dialogue among nations and for intensifying collective efforts to end the violence and bring lasting peace in Palestine.

The Prime Minister praised the diplomatic envoys for their efforts to build stronger ties with Pakistan and their respective countries. The diplomats thanked the Prime Minister for sparing time to interact with them and said they would continue to work closely with Pakistan to enhance bilateral relations.