LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on Monday to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan and reiterated the UK’s efforts to use diplomatic and development tools at its disposal to support the region.
During the call, the two leaders covered a range of issues, from the tragic train crash in Sindh that killed at least 50 people on Monday morning to the Pakistan-hosted World Environment Day event with the United Nations over the weekend.
They also covered the fight against coronavirus and resolved to work together to defeat the pandemic globally.
“The Prime Minister [Johnson] began by expressing his condolences following the tragic loss of life in the train crash in Sindh,” said a Downing Street spokesperson.
“The leaders discussed the current situation in Afghanistan.
They agreed on the need to ensure a long-term future of peace and stability in the country.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK would continue to use the diplomatic and development tools at our disposal to support the government of Afghanistan,” the spokesperson said.
The two leaders also covered the need to “take action to cut carbon emissions and protect biodiversity” ahead of the UK-hosted Cop26 Summit in Glasgow in November.
“The leaders also discussed the shared fight against coronavirus and resolved to work together to defeat the pandemic in our countries and around the world,” the spokesperson added.
Khan thanked his UK counterpart for recording a video message for the World Environment Day event held in Islamabad on June 5, according to a statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office.
Khan impressed upon Johnson to revisit the decision of placing Pakistan on the Red List of travel ban countries due to Covid-19.