ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have agreed to jointly safeguard peace and stability of the world, especially Asia.

An understanding to this effect was reached between the two sides during the third round of China-Pakistan consultations on the United Nations affairs held via a video conference.

The event jointly chaired by director-general of the department of international organisations and conferences of the foreign ministry of China Yang Tao and Pakistan’s foreign ministry (UN) director general Usman Iqbal Jadoon was also attended by officials of the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, Pakistani embassy in China and permanent missions of the two countries to the UN in New York and Geneva.

Both countries agreed to work towards political and peaceful resolution of regional and international hotspot issues. The friendly neighbours also vowed to strengthen their cooperation on the UN and other multilateral platforms and to support each other on each side’s core and major interests.

Pledge support to each side’s core interests

Views were exchanged on a wide range of multilateral issues of mutual interest covering all major areas of the UN work.

Both sides agreed to firmly safeguard multilateralism and support the central role of the UN in international affairs.

Pakistan and China also agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism and peacekeeping in the UN framework by addressing the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and supporting the UN peacekeeping operations so as to make greater contributions to the maintenance of international and regional peace and security.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2021