Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi on Tuesday exchanged views on the bilateral ties and global issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan.
On his Twitter handle, the foreign minister said it was a pleasure talking to the foreign minister of Indonesia.
During a telephonic conversation, the foreign minister appreciated Indonesia’s solidarity and continued support for the flood affectees and climate-resilient Pakistan.
Pakistan-Indonesia ties
They also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen Pak-Indonesia relations and work together for women’s rights and empowerment; the foreign minister further posted in his tweet.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that in an international conference in Geneva on January 9, they would share plans for rebuilding a ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan.’
Pakistan to share rebuilding plans at the climate conference
On his Twitter handle, the foreign minister shared a short video of his visit to district Dadu in Sindh province and said that five months had passed since monster monsoons triggered floods. However, the flood water still inundated many areas.
“Although Pakistan only contributes 0.8% of the global carbon footprint, we are 8th most affected by climate change,” he further posted in a tweet.
In his short video message, the foreign minister appealed to the world community to support Pakistan’s efforts to rehabilitate its flood-affected people.
He said that he visited Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu. The monsoon rains, called by the United Nations Secretary-General ‘monster monsoons’, had left one-third of Pakistan under flood water.
He said different areas were still flooded and inundated by the flood water and appealed to the international community to continue assisting the flood-affected people of Pakistan.
During the international conference, he said they would bring forth proposals for reconstruction and rehabilitation.
The scale of the devastation was massive and indeed a climate catastrophe of their times, he said, adding that they were looking forward to working with the international community to take the people of Pakistan out of this distressing situation.
