The Minister for Asia and the Pacific in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mark Field, has praised UK-Pakistan relations in his first visit to the country on November 8, 2017
The Minister for Asia and the Pacific in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mark Field, has praised UK-Pakistan relations in his first visit to the country on November 8, 2017.
In a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif in the capital Islamabad, the focus of discussion was on shared international interests, Pakistan’s regional relations and cooperation between the two Commonwealth countries.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, to be held in London, was mentioned in relation to the two countries’ commitment to each other and, more widely, South Asia and its Commonwealth countries.
Field also met with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, in order to discuss the support the UK government is providing to Pakistan to encourage parliamentary capacity building and collaboration.
The Minister then visited the Commonwealth War Graveyard in Rawalpindi as part of annual commemorations to remember those from the UK and wider Commonwealth who gave their lives in conflict.
In a speech at a Chevening event, he welcomed back scholars who had spent the year in UK universities on fully-funded Chevening Scholarships.
Chevening is the UK government’s international awards scheme that aims to develop future global leaders by providing the opportunity for professional and academic development and networking.
It is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its partner organisations and offers scholarships and fellowships to applicants.
Summarising his trip, the Minister said: “I was delighted to spend today in Islamabad, during my first visit to Pakistan.
“I had a productive meeting with Khawaja Asif, where we talked about the important Commonwealth Summit next year and about Pakistan’s wider role in South Asia.
“I also was honoured to see Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate, and I heard about the work the UK is doing with Pakistan’s parliaments to build capacity, create links between UK and Pakistani parliamentarians and support the strengthening of Pakistan’s parliamentary systems.”
