ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan\u2013Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group, headed by its Convener Ms Farah Naz Akbar, held a meeting with the Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, H.E. St\u00e9phane Rey, to discuss ways to strengthen parliamentary relations and explore practical areas of bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by Members of the National Assembly, including Rana Mubashar Iqbal, Federal Minister (Public Affairs Unit), Ahmad Raza Maneka, Mian Khan Bugti, Pullain Baloch, Kiran Haider, Neelam, Huma Akhtar Chughtai and Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi.<\/p>\n
Welcoming the Swiss envoy, Ms Farah Naz Akbar underlined the need to make the Parliamentary Friendship Group a meaningful and result-oriented forum for engagement. She said continued interaction between parliamentarians, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation on common challenges could help further consolidate relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n
The convener also proposed the establishment of a counterpart Friendship Group in the Swiss Parliament. She suggested that the two sides could then hold virtual meetings, arrange reciprocal visits and conduct thematic discussions, enabling members to share experiences and learn from one another\u2019s legislative and oversight work.<\/p>\n
Ambassador St\u00e9phane Rey appreciated Pakistan\u2019s hospitality and said there was considerable scope to deepen bilateral engagement. He identified climate change, tourism, science, cultural heritage and vocational training as important areas where the two countries could enhance cooperation.<\/p>\n
Referring to the issues faced by mountain communities, the ambassador discussed the impact of climate change on villages and tourism. He stressed the importance of sharing knowledge, research and best practices in this regard. He also highlighted the need to improve Pakistan\u2019s visibility in Switzerland and promote better understanding between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group discussed vocational education and skills development as practical areas for collaboration. They referred to the possibility of exchanges between training institutions and learning from Switzerland\u2019s vocational training system.<\/p>\n
The discussion also covered economic cooperation, the contribution of Swiss companies operating in Pakistan, agricultural livelihoods, climate resilience, infrastructure and disaster risk reduction. Members also raised the prospects of stronger cooperation among relevant institutions, particularly in the area of disaster preparedness.<\/p>\n
The participants explored ways to promote Pakistan\u2019s cultural heritage in Switzerland, including the possibility of a Gandhara-focused exhibition, while acknowledging the logistical requirements involved in arranging such initiatives.<\/p>\n
Scholarships, student exchanges and improved access to educational and professional opportunities were also discussed. Members emphasised the importance of increasing people-to-people contact, expanding trade and investment linkages, and creating more opportunities for Pakistani students, professionals and women to enhance their skills and take part in economic activity.<\/p>\n
The meeting concluded with both sides agreeing on the importance of sustained engagement between the two Parliamentary Friendship Groups and the identification of specific themes for future interaction. They also recognised the need to translate parliamentary dialogue into practical initiatives in trade, education, vocational training, cultural exchange, climate resilience and disaster risk reduction, in order to further strengthen the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and Switzerland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan\u2013Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group and Swiss Ambassador St\u00e9phane Rey discussed cooperation in climate, education, vocational training, trade and culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":21710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}