EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas in Islamabad for strategic dialogue

The Euro­­pean Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, was welcomed on Monday by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar ahead of a strategic dialogue being held in Islamabad. State-run PTV showed images of Kallas being welcomed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Dar and meeting officials. Kallas, who serves as vice-president of the Euro­pean Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Dar. Both will co-chair the 8th EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which the Foreign Office (FO) said is the “highest-level platform for structured discussion between the two sides”. The EU said Kallas was set to hold a joint press conference with Dar at 12:30pm. According to the FO, the visit reflects the growing momentum in high-level political excha­nges and both sides’ commitment to further stren­gthening their multifaceted partnership. “Pakistan deeply values its long-standing, multidimensional partnership with the European Union, which is anchored in shared values, robust economic cooperation, and a mutual commitment to multilateralism,” the FO said. Kallas will also hold meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, the EU said. The FO confirmed that she was set to meet Pakistan’s “senior leadership”, including the president and the premier. The EU is Pakistan’s sec­ond-largest trading partner, with the GSP+ status allowing the country to enjoy duty-free or minimum duty on European exports. The status was granted by the EU in 2014, resulting in a 108 per cent increase in Pakistani textile exports to the EU due to concessional tariffs. More to follow