Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Manila on Wednesday to attend the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting, the Foreign Office said.
Dar was received at the airport by Philippines Assistant Secretary for Foreign Affairs Elmer G. Cato, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Philippines Asima Rabbani and other officials.
According to the Foreign Office, the deputy prime minister will participate in the ARF ministerial plenary session and hold a series of bilateral meetings with foreign ministers and senior representatives attending the forum.
The meeting is expected to bring together foreign ministers and delegates from the ARF’s 27 member states, along with the ASEAN secretary-general, to discuss political and security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region.
During the discussions, Dar is expected to reiterate Pakistan’s support for regional peace, stability and cooperation, while emphasising the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in addressing shared security concerns.On the sidelines of the forum, he is also scheduled to meet his Philippine counterpart and other senior officials to discuss bilateral ties and matters of mutual interest, the Foreign Office said.
Established in 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum is regarded as one of the region’s principal multilateral platforms for dialogue on political and security issues. Pakistan became a member of the forum in 2004 and has since participated in its initiatives aimed at promoting regional cooperation and confidence-building.
