Islamabad, Feb 27 (PTI) Pakistan on Sunday reached out to Ukraine to resurrect its relationship, days after Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Moscow where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin who had ordered a special military operation in eastern Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and “underscored the importance of de-escalation”.
In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said that Qureshi noted that Prime Minister Khan, during his recent visit to Moscow, had regretted the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine as Pakistan had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict.
The foreign minister “stressed that conflict was not in anyone’s interest and that developing countries were always hit the hardest economically in case of conflict. The foreign minister underlined Pakistan’s belief that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” the FO said.
He “shared Pakistan’s perspective in detail, reiterating serious concern at the situation, underscoring the importance of de-escalation, and stressing the indispensability of diplomacy”.
He discussed the evacuation of Pakistani citizens and students in Ukraine with his counterpart.
“He appreciated the role played by the Ukrainian authorities in the evacuation process and asked for continued facilitation and smooth border crossing at the earliest possible,” the FO said.
The two ministers agreed to remain in contact as the conflict raged on despite calls by the international community to stop hostilities.
Pakistan enjoyed close ties with Ukraine but Islamabad was caught in crosshairs as Russia launched a blitz against its neighbour after Khan had landed in Moscow on a two-day visit, creating an awkward situation for the visitor.
There were reports that he might cut short the trip but it went ahead as per plan and the meeting between Khan and President Putin lasted for three hours.
A statement issued by Pakistan noted that the prime minister in the meeting stressed that conflict was not in anyone’s interest and that developing countries were always hardest hit economically in case of conflict.
“He underlined Pakistan’s belief that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” according to the statement. PTI SH ZH ZH
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