Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a three-day visit in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advocate (UNSGSA) for Inclusive Finance for Development.
The Dutch queen was received by senior officials of the Foreign Ministry and representatives of the Embassy of Netherlands at Nur Khan Air Base.
Upon arrival in Islamabad, Queen Maxima chaired a meeting on financial inclusion, Radio Pakistan reported. She said that while Pakistan has made advancements towards financial inclusion more needs to be done. In the meeting attended by representatives of UN agencies, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, Queen Maxima emphasised the need to use technology to improve financial inclusion, the report added.
Last week, the Foreign Office (FO) announced the Dutch queen’s visit. In a press release, the FO said that the Dutch queen will call on President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan during her visit, in addition to her engagements with stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
Queen Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti will also attend the launch of the ‘Micro Payment Gateway’, which the FO described as “an initiative of the State Bank of Pakistan aimed at reducing the costs of small payments and boosting digital transactions to benefit people and promote financial inclusion”. The statement had added that inclusive finance for development is one of the “key priorities” of the government and the country has taken a number of steps in recent years to promote financial inclusion. Meanwhile, Queen Maxima called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad. During the meeting, matters pertaining to different aspects of economic and social development came under discussion. They also agreed for promotion of cooperation in renewable energy, agriculture and horticulture sectors. Speaking on the occasion, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, “Today, the world is identifying Pakistan as a peaceful country.” He said Pakistan values its bilateral relations with the Netherlands. He said many Dutch companies are successfully running their business in Pakistan. The foreign minister said the government is taking solid steps for promotion of investment and tourism in the country. He expressed serious reservations by the Pakistan over the recent incidents of Islamophobia in Europe. Queen Maxima assured him of all possible cooperation for realisation of the goals of sustainable development in Pakistan.
