- The FO says, “Pakistan and Ukraine have close, cordial relations.”
- The journey of Kuleba will start from 20th July and end on 21st.
- During the visit, the minister will meet PM Shahbaz and FM Bilawal.
The Foreign Office on Wednesday announced the visit of Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to Islamabad for a two-day official visit starting July 20.
As part of his visit, the minister is scheduled to hold meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
“Pakistan and Ukraine enjoy close and cordial relations, especially in the fields of trade, investment, agriculture and higher education,” the ministry said in a statement.
Foreign Minister Kuleba’s visit, which will begin after his arrival on July 20 and end on the 21st, is the first ministerial visit from the Ukrainian side since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Ukraine in 1993.
“It is expected to contribute to the further strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries,” the statement said.
Last week, news Reported Kuleba’s “emergency” visit to Islamabad.
According to sources, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Ukraine were to discuss the food crisis in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Meanwhile, government officials said that Pakistan wanted an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Pakistan’s stand on Ukraine-Russia war
Islamabad maintains a neutral position on the Russia-Ukraine war as it has expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country, but has never openly condemned Russia.
Pakistan has repeatedly abstained from voting at the United Nations against Russia, seeking support for its call for the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine.
Last year, FM Bilawal reiterated Pakistan’s neutrality on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying Islamabad was not taking sides.
“We will not take sides because we are tired of wars and conflicts,” the minister said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Later in the same month, a statement from the Foreign Office said that Pakistan’s position on the matter remained “unchanged”, stressing that the country had taken a “principled position” on the issue, which Islamabad considered a “principled position”. Seen as a major diplomatic test. Maintain balance in your relations with the great powers.
“We seek to have comprehensive, purposeful, balanced and mutually beneficial relations with all major powers, including the United States and China,” the FO spokesperson said.
