ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union (EU) convened the 7th Strategic Dialogue co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas in Brussels on Saturday, with both sides stressing the need to enhance trade and investment ties and deepen cooperation.
The Strategic Dialogue is the highest level of institutionalized interaction between the two sides, during which they review cooperation across all sectors under the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan 2019.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the meeting provided a “comprehensive review” of the full spectrum of Pakistan–EU relations, building on the positive momentum of recent high-level engagements and institutional interactions.
“They underlined the importance of further deepening trade and investment ties, including through the EU’s GSP Plus arrangement, as a driver for sustainable growth, export diversification, job creation and mutually beneficial economic opportunity,” the foreign ministry said.
The GSP Plus scheme grants countries’ exports duty-free access to the European market in exchange for voluntarily agreeing to implement 27 international core conventions, including those on human and civil rights. Pakistan is one of the beneficiaries of the scheme.
