File photo of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will undertake an official visit to the United States from Dec. 14 to 21, during which he is slated to meet high-level government officials and the U.N. chief, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the minister’s program included multiple multilateral and bilateral engagements in New York and Washington D.C., adding that he would meet with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and participate in a high-level debate at the U.N. Security Council on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism” on Dec. 14. He would then, read the statement, host and chair the Ministerial Conference of the G-77 and China from Dec. 15-16.
“The agenda of the conference includes a discussion on multiple challenges facing developing countries in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-induced disasters and geopolitical developments,” it added.
Bhutto-Zardari is slated to travel to Washington D.C. on Dec. 19, where he would hold meetings with high-level government officials, congressional leaders, Pakistani-American businessmen, and community members. He would also engage with think-tanks and the media, according to the Foreign Office.
During his scheduled meetings, bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest would be discussed to carry forward the momentum in Pakistan-U.S. bilateral relations, particularly in areas of trade, investment, climate resilience and economic development. He would also share Pakistan’s perspective on climate change, and apprise the people he meets of the colossal damage inflicted by climate-induced floods in Pakistan and the post-flood reconstruction and rehabilitation plan of the government.