Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan is committed to working closely with the European Union to expand mutually beneficial trade, with a special focus on the GSP Plus scheme.

He made the remarks during a meeting with EU Ambassador Raimundas Karoblis, who called on him in Islamabad.

The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to further strengthen cooperation with the EU across key areas, including trade, investment, development, security, migration and climate change.

He underlined the critical role of GSP Plus in boosting Pakistan-EU trade ties and expressed satisfaction over the seventh round of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue, held in Brussels in November last year.

The Pakistani delegation to the dialogue was led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

Ambassador Karoblis thanked the prime minister for the warm welcome since his arrival in Pakistan and conveyed the good wishes of the EU leadership.

He assured continued efforts to deepen Pakistan-EU relations across all sectors.

The envoy said the EU would remain engaged with Pakistan to enhance trade under GSP Plus and through trade promotion initiatives, including the first-ever EU-Pakistan Business Forum scheduled to be held in April.