Pakistan foreign minister heads to New York for high-level UN General Assembly week
By The South Asia Times
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has departed Islamabad for New York to participate in the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to hold a series of diplomatic engagements on regional and international issues.
Dar will accompany Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the Sept. 21-25 visit, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
The UN General Assembly’s high-level week brings world leaders and senior officials together in New York, with the general debate scheduled from Sept. 22-26 and again on Sept. 28. The theme of the 81st session is “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”
Dar is scheduled to attend an OIC Contact Group meeting on Jammu and Kashmir, where Pakistan says he will reiterate Islamabad’s support for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
He will also participate in several OIC ministerial meetings, including the annual coordination meeting of OIC foreign ministers.
Palestine will be another major focus of Dar’s diplomatic engagements. He is expected to attend meetings involving the Group of Eight Arab and Islamic countries and a high-level ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.
The Pakistani foreign minister will also address a UN Security Council high-level briefing on artificial intelligence and participate in the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The pandemic meeting is scheduled for Sept. 25 and will focus on strengthening international cooperation to prevent and respond to future health emergencies.
Dar will chair a meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization Council of Ministers and hold bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said his engagements will focus on the country’s efforts toward regional and international peace and stability, as well as discussions on major global and regional challenges.
The UN high-level week also includes meetings on climate action, sea-level rise and sustainable development.
