PM Shehbaz set to attend Arab Islamic moot, COP29

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Saudi Arabia on Sunday to attend the Second Joint Arab Islamic Summit being held in Riyadh, ARY News reported.

Being convened at the initiative of the Saudi government, the summit will be a follow-up to the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit held on November 11, last year in Riyadh to discuss the situation in Gaza and other occupied territories, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.

The heads of state and government and senior officials from Arab League and OIC member countries are expected to participate in the summit.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that at the summit, the prime minister would reiterate Pakistan’s full support for the Palestinian cause and call for an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza, an urgent and unconditional ceasefire, and an immediate cessation of ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region that endangers the security of countries in the Middle East.

Pakistan will also call for international protection for the Palestinian people and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine on the borders of 4 June 1967, with Quds Al Sharif as its capital, she added.

On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders from other Arab League and OIC member states.

Meanwhile, the prime minister will also visit Baku, Azerbaijan, to participate in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit being held on November 12-13 as part of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, other cabinet members, and senior officials will accompany the prime minister who will make a robust call for climate solidarity and climate justice based on the established principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

On the sidelines of the summit, he is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with participating world leaders.

COP29 is taking place at a time when millions around the world, including in Pakistan, are facing severe adverse impacts of climate change. As an important stakeholder, Pakistan will continue to make positive contributions to the global climate debate, negotiations, and collective action.