Parliamentary Secretary Makhdoom Zain H. Qureshi visits Poland

Makhdoom Zain H. Qureshi, the Parliamentary Secretary and Convener of Pakistan-Poland Friendship Group in the National Assembly of Pakistan visited Poland to attend the United Nations 16th Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2021) held in Katowice from 06-10 December 2021.

During the visit, the Parliamentary Secretary held various meetings with government officials and members of the Polish Parliament on the sidelines of the event.

He met Senator Bogdan Klich, the Chairperson of Committee on International Relations and European Affairs of the Polish Senate on 08 December 2021. The two Parliamentarians agreed to explore new avenues of cooperation and exchanged views on regional situation.

He also held separate meetings with Mr. Ryszard Terlecki, Deputy Marshal of Sejm (Lower House of the Polish Parliament); Mr. Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Deputy Chairman of International Affairs Committee; and Mr. Grzegorz Napeiralski, Deputy Chairman of Committee on Digitization, Innovation & Modern Technologies on 09-10 December 2021.

In meeting with the Deputy Marshal, it was agreed to reactivate Pakistan-Poland Friendship Group in Sejm and explore sectoral cooperation in trade, agriculture, and import of skilled manpower from Pakistan.

In an in-depth interaction with the Deputy Chairman of Committee on Digitization, Innovation & Modern Technologies, the two sides agreed to explore cooperation in IT Sector and sharing experiences and best practices in the field of cyber security.

The Deputy Chairman of International Affairs Committee and the Parliamentary Secretary expressed desire to further strength bilateral economic cooperation by deeper government-to-government, business-to-business and people-to-people contacts.

Makhdoom Zain H. Qureshi also had a fruitful interaction with Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Marcin Przydacz. They reviewed bilateral cooperation in diverse fields and affirmed mutual desire to increase frequency and level of bilateral engagements. It was agreed to set a comprehensive agenda of engagements and activities to commemorate 60th anniversary of bilateral relations next year.

During these interactions, the Parliamentary Secretary thanked the Polish side for extending support in the context of Pakistan’s GSP plus status. He underscored that GSP plus was a win win arrangement for both the EU and Pakistan and hoped that Poland would continue its support in the upcoming biennial review.

He also briefed his Polish interlocutors on the serious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and underscored that the international community must help the Afghan people avert the crisis through immediate support and financial assistance, especially in the context of Afghanistan’s frozen financial resources.

The Polish side appreciated Pakistan’s role in the evacuation of Polish nationals post-15 August 2021.

The Parliamentary Secretary also briefed them about unabated gross human rights violations against the Kashmiris in IIOJK and underscored that Poland, as an important member of EU and the international community, must play its due role in this regard. He emphasized the need to impress upon India to halt human rights violations and let the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their right to self determination as enshrined in the UN Security Council Resolutions.

Warsaw

11 December 2011