In meeting with top EU officials, PM Shehbaz reiterates commitment to continued engagement under GSP+

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has restated Pakistan's commitment to staying engaged with the European Union's GSP+ scheme, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He made the point in New York during talks with the heads of the European Council and European Commission, António Luís Santos da Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, held on the margins of the UN General Assembly. Both sides reviewed the wide sweep of Pakistan-EU ties and welcomed a growing pace of high-level contact.

Shehbaz stressed that sustained leadership-level engagement can give the relationship more direction and momentum, and he pledged to build on the broad-based partnership and carry the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan fully into effect. He renewed an invitation for the two EU presidents to come to Pakistan. Regional and global issues also came up, with both sides backing dialogue, diplomacy and international law as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes.

The meeting came after Monday's signing of financing agreements worth €65 million, or roughly $75m, covering Global Gateway investments, the rule of law, and energy and environmental resilience. Von der Leyen called the talks very good and said the two sides had discussed moving the partnership ahead on trade and on curbing illegal migration. She thanked him for taking the initiative to mediate in the US-Iran conflict, saying Pakistan played an important part in backing de-escalation.