BRUSSELS, (Unib Rashid) — The Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels has paid tribute to the diplomatic services of former Ambassador Dr Asad Majeed Khan, highlighting his tenure as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg from May 2022 to January 2023.

In a post published as part of its “From the Archives” series, the embassy recalled Ambassador Asad’s tenure as a period marked by intensive diplomatic engagement, high-level contacts with European Union institutions and sustained efforts to further strengthen relations between Pakistan and the European Union.

A major focus of his diplomatic engagement in Brussels was presenting Pakistan’s position on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) before key EU institutions, including the European Parliament, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and relevant directorates-general of the European Commission.

During his tenure, the fourth biennial review of Pakistan under the GSP+ arrangement was successfully completed in 2022, marking an important milestone in Pakistan-EU trade relations.

Climate change cooperation was another key priority during Ambassador Asad’s tenure. Following the devastating monsoon floods in Pakistan in 2022, he played an important role in mobilising European support for relief, recovery and strengthening Pakistan’s resilience to the impacts of climate change.

His efforts also contributed to strengthening dialogue between Pakistan and the European Union on climate-related challenges and promoting greater understanding of the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable economies.

Regional peace and stability, particularly the situation in Afghanistan, also remained an important area of his diplomatic engagement in Brussels. Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan and the European Union shared important interests in promoting regional stability and addressing the humanitarian situation.

Ambassador Asad worked to advance cooperation in areas including security, counter-terrorism and regional stability, while seeking to strengthen policy coordination between Pakistan and the European Union on Afghanistan.

He also paid particular attention to revitalising Pakistan’s bilateral relations with Belgium and Luxembourg. During his tenure, the process of bilateral political consultations between Pakistan and Luxembourg was initiated, with the first round held in November 2022.

His efforts also contributed to the revival of the bilateral political consultations mechanism between Pakistan and Belgium, with the third round subsequently held in June 2023.

The embassy said Ambassador Asad’s tenure in Brussels reflected Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining substantive and forward-looking relations with the European Union on issues of mutual interest, while highlighting Pakistan’s role as a constructive partner in addressing regional and global challenges.

A career foreign service officer with more than 38 years of diplomatic experience, Dr Asad Majeed Khan had previously served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2019 and to the United States from 2019 to 2022.

He was later appointed Pakistan’s 31st Foreign Secretary, heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.

Dr Asad Majeed Khan is currently serving as Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), where he continues to contribute to regional economic and political cooperation.