ISLAMABAD: President elect of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir has stressed that resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute is key to sustainable peace in South Asia.

Addressing a news conference along with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Monday, he said regional security should be maintained through political and diplomatic means. He said difficult challenges can be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagements.

Volkan Bozkir said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan presented their approach to the issue during talks with him. He said if his assistance was requested by the parties, he would be ready to provide contributions within his mandate.

FM Qureshi said the UN Security Council had deliberated on the lingering dispute three times in a year which was unprecedented and Pakistan was grateful to it.

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He said Pakistan desired that the discussion on the dispute was also held in the UN General Assembly as it was the pulse of the world that highlighted the views of the comity of nations.

The foreign minister said the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir were concerned over the demographic change taking place there.

Volkan Bozkir said Pakistan was a key country at the United Nations which made extensive and substantial contributions to the world body’s work including the peace operations.

He said the UN looked forward to close cooperation with Pakistan.

Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, the president elect of the UN General Assembly said Imran Khan was a well-known political figure in the world who had a vision for the region and the world peace and security as well as also other important issues faced by the world including climate change and problems of least developed countries.

He stressed the UN role must also be more towards the countries that were in need.

Volkan Bozkir said the world was currently faced with many challenges including humanitarian and deadly conflicts. He said the unprecedented health challenge of Covid-19 was a threat with social political and economic consequences.

Extending condolences to Pakistan over the loss of lives it faced due to Covid-19, Volkan Bozkir said Pakistan had been a good example for the world to deal with the pandemic through its policies.  He said Pakistan had done better than other countries.