Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rehman on Wednesday reviewed the positive momentum in relations between their countries and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties.
Rehman, who is also the President-elect of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, met Dar on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Manila, where Pakistan is holding bilateral engagements with regional partners.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO), the two leaders reviewed the progress in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and discussed the renewed momentum generated by Dar’s visit to Bangladesh last year.
The FO said both ministers reaffirmed their shared commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation and welcomed the growing engagement between the two countries.
The two sides also appreciated enhanced people-to-people exchanges and improved connectivity following the launch of direct flights earlier this year. They agreed to maintain the positive momentum in bilateral relations.
The FO noted that increased exchanges and improved connectivity had played an important role in strengthening ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Dar and Rehman also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, the FO added.
Earlier, Dar arrived in Manila, Philippines, to participate in the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting. He was accompanied by a Pakistani delegation and is scheduled to attend the ARF plenary session and hold a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the forum.
The FO said Dar has a busy programme of engagements, including participation in the ARF plenary meeting and multiple bilateral discussions aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach in the region.
Upon his arrival in Manila, Dar was received at the airport by Elmer G. Cato, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Intelligence and Security Services (OISS) at the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Philippines Asima Rabbani, and officials from the Pakistani embassy.
The week-long summit, which runs through July 24, has brought together foreign ministers and senior diplomats from ASEAN member states and major global powers to discuss geopolitical developments, energy security, trade, food security, regional cooperation, the Myanmar civil war and the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, as well as the implications of the US-Iran conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to attend the ASEAN-led meeting in the coming days and could hold talks on the sidelines. Representatives from India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union are also participating.
Southeast Asia, a region with a combined gross domestic product of around $3.8 trillion and a heavy dependence on imported oil, remains vulnerable to supply disruptions. In response, ASEAN members are working to accelerate the implementation of an oil-sharing mechanism to reduce the impact of potential energy shortages.