Pakistan on Thursday expressed “disappointment” over the European Union’s latest GSP+ assessment, saying the report failed to present a balanced picture of the country’s progress.
“I would be remiss if I do not express disappointment with the assessment and the report’s overall narrative, which does not present a sufficiently balanced picture of Pakistan’s performance under GSP+,” Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during his weekly press briefing.
Andrabi said the assessment covered 60 beneficiary countries and included an individual report on Pakistan, describing it as “the final monitoring report under the current GSP+ framework on Pakistan’s compliance with the 27 international conventions.”
“So it’s the final report, the last of such series,” he said.
The spokesperson said Pakistan appreciated the report’s acknowledgement of “Pakistan’s legislative progress during the reporting period and the country’s continued compliance with the 27 international conventions.”
However, he added that despite recognising “the breadth of reforms undertaken since Pakistan joined the GSP+ in 2014”, the report placed “disproportionate emphasis on the lower than desirable level of progress in certain areas.”
Andrabi said the GSP+ scheme remained central to Pakistan’s economic relationship with the European Union, “supporting exports, employment, women’s economic participation, poverty reduction and broader economic development.”
“It is a mutually beneficial arrangement in that respect,” he said.
He added that Pakistan’s engagement with the European Union extended beyond GSP+ to areas including “development, migration, counter-terrorism, regional stability, climate resilience, connectivity and many other areas.”
“We will remain constructively engaged with the European Commission and other EU institutions and remain committed to the effective implementation of international conventions underpinning the GSP framework,” Andrabi said.
‘Any hostile act against Pakistani-flagged vessels will be regarded as grave threat to national security’
Andrabi also unequivocally condemned continued threats against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, warning that any hostile act against Pakistani-flagged vessels or the country’s maritime interests would be regarded as a grave threat to its national security.
He said the Houthi militia had earlier this week threatened a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia’s commercial shipping in the Red Sea and noted that there had been reports of attacks against Saudi ships overnight.
“We reserve the right to take all necessary measures in self-defence consistent with international law,” he added.
The spokesperson said Pakistan “remains deeply concerned by attempts to draw the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the Middle East conflict” and reiterated its “unwavering support for the Kingdom’s security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
“We issued the details yesterday on this subject, which you all covered,” Andrabi said.
Referring to last week’s attacks on Saudi Arabia by armed groups in Yemen, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had issued “a very eloquent, strong statement.”
“Given that the escalation has continued, the words of our prime minister resonate even more profoundly,” he added.
Andrabi said that amid growing hostilities and armed attacks, Pakistan reiterated its call on all parties “to exercise restraint” and was “continuing its diplomatic outreach in support of dialogue and diplomacy.”
