- Says U.S embassy to continue ‘normal consular operations’ in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, April 29: The foreign office on Monday said Prime Minister Imran Khan has concluded his official visit to China from 25-28 April.
In a handout issued by the FO, the prime minister was visiting China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping to attend the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) and the opening ceremony of the Beijing International Horticulture Exhibition 2019.
Premier Khan delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRF on 26 April 2019 and attended a banquet hosted by President Xi Jinping for the world leaders the same evening.
In his statement during the first session of the roundtable – “Boosting Connectivity to Explore New Sources of Growth” – the premier inter alia proposed four new areas for Belt and Road cooperation, i.e: digital connectivity, mobility of labour, cultural connectivity and sharing best practices in knowledge and innovation.
PM Khan, accompanied by federal ministers and senior officials delegation, separately met President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on April 28.
Earlier, the prime minister and his delegation were hosted to a banquet by Vice President Wang Qishan on the evening of April 27.
During these meetings, the two sides reviewed the entire range of bilateral relations including CPEC. They reaffirmed the resolve to further strengthen the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership in all dimensions. Both sides discussed important regional and international issues, including peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and peace and stability in South Asia and agreed to deepen cooperation at the multilateral fora.
On the sidelines of the BRF, PM Khan had meetings with other world leaders including from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Malaysia, Ethiopia and Kyrghyz Republic. He also held meetings with Managing Director of International Monetary Fund and the CEO of the World Bank as well as corporate and business representatives attending the BRF.
The prime minister was accompanied by a high-powered Ministerial delegation which included the Foreign Minister, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Minister for Energy, Minister for Railways, and Advisors on Commerce and Finance as well as Chairman BOI. These Ministers and Advisors represented Pakistan at the Belt and Road Thematic Forums on 25 April 2019. They also interacted with their Chinese counterparts and Ministers from the BRF participating countries.
Following the meeting with Premier Li, a ceremony was held to sign a number of memorandum of understandings (MoUs) between the two sides, including the conclusion of the 2nd Phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement and an agreement on ML-1.-Agencies
Foreign Office on Monday has termed as misleading the media reports about a US Federal Registry notification on introduction of new rules on consular matters.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said there are ongoing discussions between Pakistan and the United States on consular matters including repatriation issues.
It said both countries are working bilaterally on these issues consistent with their respective laws and have made considerable progress.
The statement said we understand that the US government would continue the normal consular operations at their Embassy in Islamabad and the ongoing discussions would not affect issuance of visas to routine Pakistani applicants. DNA
