Switzerland could play role of catalyst to promote regional peace: Pakistan

• PM Shehbaz says Pakistan faced impacts of global climate change.
• Swiss FM says MoU vital for collaboration against climate change.
• MoU to bring disaster management at par with international standards.

Pakistan could not afford tension in the region nor would like to waste its resources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday, while urging Switzerland to play the role of catalyst in the region to promote peace.

The prime minister was addressing a ceremony of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and Switzerland over disaster management, in Nathiagali. 

He termed the event as a vital step that would promote cooperation between the two countries to harness technology and expertise in the future to tackle the natural catastrophe jointly.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said that they looked forward to the Swiss cooperation in terms of getting an advanced warning system and other gadgets to secure Pakistan as much as possible from natural disasters.

He reiterated that Pakistan was facing the impacts of global climate change, despite the fact that the country had very little carbon footprints.

Appreciating the Swiss foreign minister’s remarks about the peace in the region, PM Shehbaz Sharif said that it was important to maintain peace in this part of the world and that Switzerland could play the role of catalyst to promote peace in the region.

"There could be no lasting peace in this part of the world till their issues including Kashmir were resolved," he added.

He said that Pakistan liked to promote progress, and prosperity, eradicate unemployment, and poverty, and enhance education, IT, industry, women empowerment, and agriculture for the well-being of the people.

Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis said that signing the MoU between the two countries was vital for collaboration against climate change.

He said Pakistan was rich in cultural heritage and breathtaking landscapes, but it had become prone to natural disasters, resulting in last year’s floods, displacement of people with wide destruction.

The Swiss minister said these disasters required an urgent need for international cooperation to mitigate the risks associated with the natural catastrophes.

Extending his government’s cooperation in this regard, he reaffirmed to further strengthen the bilateral ties and to pool their resources in this field.

He further highlighted the joint efforts between the two countries during the years 2010 and 2022 when the devastating floods struck Pakistan, adding the Swiss government swiftly provided emergency aid and supported the affected people.