Shehbaz Sharif Pledges Deepened Ties With Myanmar as Bilateral Cooperation Expands

WEB DESK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met on Tuesday with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister, reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations. During their meeting, Prime Minister Sharif highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation in people-to-people exchanges and shared interests. He also commended Myanmar for its support for Pakistan’s engagement within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), emphasizing that stronger ties with the regional bloc would bolster economic and diplomatic cooperation.

Myanmar’s Foreign Minister conveyed messages of goodwill from his country’s leadership, expressing a desire to further strengthen relations with Pakistan across various sectors. Earlier on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Than Swe held extensive talks in Islamabad, indicating renewed efforts to revitalize bilateral ties after an extended gap in high-level interactions.

The Myanmar foreign minister arrived for a four-day official visit in January 24th aimed at expanding cooperation in areas such as political, economic, humanitarian, and cultural sectors. During their joint press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar highlighted the comprehensive assessment of cooperation across these fields, including people-to-people exchanges.

Both sides acknowledged that bilateral relations had not reached potential levels and agreed to sustain structured engagement for mutual benefit. They also emphasized collaboration in areas such as capacity-building, development initiatives, humanitarian assistance, particularly enhancing consular support. The talks underscored a shared commitment to regional stability and cooperation, with both countries pledging to resolve disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.

Academic collaborations, youth engagements, and cultural exchanges were prominently featured as points of interest for people-to-people contacts between the two nations. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar highlighted Pakistan’s Buddhist heritage and suggested religious tourism as a potential avenue for strengthening cultural ties and improving connectivity. Additionally, regional and international issues were addressed, with both countries expressing enthusiasm about deeper coordination at multilateral forums.

Following their talks, Pakistan and Myanmar signed an MoU on political consultations between their foreign ministries to institutionalize regular dialogue and provide a formal framework for engagement on bilateral, regional, and global matters. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar emphasized the longstanding friendship between Islamabad and Naypyidaw, noting that senior-level exchanges had significantly decreased since the last visit from Myanmar in 2015, while Pakistan’s was in 2012.

Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Than Swe thanked Pakistan for the invitation and hospitality, stating his visit as a reflection of Myanmar’s aim to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation. He also recalled the shared colonial history between the two countries and affirmed that successive governments in Myanmar had maintained cordial relations with Pakistan since independence. Both sides expressed confidence that these Islamabad talks would lay a foundation for closer cooperation in the future.