UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a bilateral meeting at the consul general’s residence around the fringes of the 79th United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where they agreed to deepen bilateral ties across trade, climate and security. 

According to a Downing Street readout of the discussions on Thursday (September 26), Mr. Starmer also congratulated Pakistan’s election as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council for the 2025-2026 term earlier this year.

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“They discussed the deep relationship between the U.K. and Pakistan, including strong people-to-people links, and on trade and investment,” Downing Street said of the Starmer-Sharif meeting.

“They agreed to work together to deepen these relations further, particularly on trade, climate, and security. The Prime Minister also congratulated Prime Minister Sharif on Pakistan’s election to the UN Security Council and agreed on the importance of working to strengthen the multilateral system,” the statement added.

The meeting came just ahead of Mr. Starmer’s speech at UNGA, during which he reiterated the UK’s call for an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement as the conflict between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel continues to intensify. The UK PM said that it “shames us all” that the suffering in Gaza continues to grow.

“I call on Israel and Hezbollah: stop the violence; step back from the brink. We need to see an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement, and we are working with all partners to that end because further escalation serves no one,” said Mr. Starmer.