ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had a telephonic conversation with Republic of Ireland Prime Minister Simon Harris on Friday evening.
The Prime Minister congratulated him on taking office and casually remarked that his youth and dynamism would bring about great change in Ireland.
On the question of Palestine, the Prime Minister expressed his deep admiration for the recent decision of the Irish government to recognize the State of Palestine.
He said Ireland’s decision would send a message of hope and solidarity to innocent Palestinians who are suffering from Israel’s brutal atrocities. It would also help promote the Palestinian cause and urge other countries to follow Ireland.
Prime Minister Shehbaz added that Pakistan has always maintained that a two-state solution in accordance with relevant UN resolutions is the only way to bring lasting peace to the Middle East. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to the just struggle of the Palestinian people and praised the ICJ’s decision to order Israel to stop its attack on Rafah.
He also expressed the hope that the oppressed people of Kashmir would receive similar attention from the international community as they too have endured brutal occupation and denial of basic human rights for the past seven decades.
Prime Minister Simon Harris said Ireland had taken a principled decision in consultation with other European allies because the scale of Israeli military action in Gaza could no longer be ignored. The Irish PM said that this decision was necessary to promote normalization in the occupied territories.
The two sides exchanged views on Pakistan-Ireland mutual relations and expressed their desire to strengthen cooperation in several areas.
The Prime Minister praised Ireland’s decision to open its resident mission in Pakistan and said that this new mission, along with Pakistan’s mission in Dublin, will play a vital role in promoting bilateral trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
He also cordially invited Prime Minister Simon Harris to pay an official visit to Pakistan.
