Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday termed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and Switzerland over disaster management.
The MoU was signed 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.
Addressing the MoU signing ceremony, the prime minister 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 emissions.
The prime minister also expressed that they wanted to further expand bilateral ties with Switzerland in diverse fields including the tourism sector as Pakistan was blessed with natural beauty.
Appreciating the Swiss foreign minister’s remarks about the peace in the region, the prime minister 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.
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.
He said that the other side should also realize it. Pakistan could not afford tension in the region nor would it like to waste its resources. It must commit its resources to the development of the country, he stressed.
The prime minister reiterated that there could be no lasting peace in this part of the world till their issues including Kashmir were resolved.
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.
