Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi underscored has reiterated Pakistan's readiness to host the SAARC Health Ministers' Meeting and suggested that due to the prevailing global health emergency a video conference could be organized.

In a telephonic conversation with Secretary General SAARC Esala Ruwan Weerakoon today (Thursday), he said being a founding member, Pakistan remained committed to the SAARC process and considered it an important platform for regional cooperation.

Congratulating Weerakoon on assuming responsibilities as the 14th Secretary General of SAARC, the Foreign Minister assured him of Pakistan's full support and expressed the hope that under his experienced stewardship, the SAARC process would be able to move forward.

The Foreign Minister and the Secretary General discussed the challenges faced by South Asian States in the face of the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The need for joint efforts to deal with the situation was emphasized by both sides.

The Foreign Minister also reiterated that the proposed SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund may be placed under the supervision of Secretary General of SAARC and that the modalities for the Fund's utilization be finalized through consultations among Member States.

Dilating upon the economic impact of Covid-19 on the developing world, Foreign Minister Qureshi highlighted Prime Minister Imran Khan's call for debt restructuring of the developing countries to enable them to dedicate resources towards saving human lives and shoring up economies.

Foreign Minister Qureshi reiterated Pakistan's readiness to work closely with the SAARC Secretariat and SAARC Member States to realize the common goal of accelerating economic growth and promoting the welfare of the people of South Asia.

Secretary General SAARC appreciated Pakistan's proposal of Health Minister's video conference.

(Ijaz/Abdul Rehman)