FM Bilawal Bhutto to attend ASEAN’s ministerial meeting in Cambodia

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari left for Cambodia to lead the country’s delegation at the 29th ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF), being held in Cambodia, ARY News reported.

The meeting, scheduled to take place from August 4-6, will be attended by the foreign ministers and representatives of the 27 ARF member countries and the Secretary-General of ASEAN.

In his pre-departure statement, the foreign minister said he looked forward to attending the meeting and holding bilateral interactions with the representatives of ASEAN countries.

At the ARF Ministerial, FM Bilawal Butto will participate in deliberations on political and security issues of concern to Asia-Pacific aimed at promoting common solutions through dialogue and cooperation.

He will also meet with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Cambodia and have bilateral meetings with a number of his counterparts on the sidelines.

Established in 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is an important platform for consultations among countries of the Asia Pacific on issues related to regional peace and security. Since joining the ARF in 2004, Pakistan has been an active member of the Forum and regularly participates in its activities.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ministerial meeting of ARF was held through video conference last year due to COVID-19.