F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has underscored that developing countries are faced with the twin challenge of containing the Coronavirus and staving off hunger due to loss of livelihoods.
Talking to his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed Ali over telephone today (Monday), he emphasized that while debt suspension will help free up resources, enhanced measures are needed to reboot the developing economies.
The Prime Minister conveyed Pakistan’s solidarity with the government and people of Ethiopia, and commended their effective measures to control the spread of COVID-19.
The discussion focused on debt relief matters, including Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘Global Initiative for Debt Relief’ for developing countries in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noting that a global recession is imminent, Imran Khan underlined that developing countries would need a combination of additional measures to meet urgent financial requirements, sustain growth, and strengthen fragile health systems as well as to save lives and provide social protection to those below the poverty line.
The two leaders agreed on the importance of working together, along with the UN Secretary General and other stakeholders, to evolve a comprehensive plan on debt relief issues.
Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Abiy to visit Pakistan at the earliest convenience.
