ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Graduation Ceremony of six-week long 27th Junior Diplomatic Course was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Islamabad on Thursday.
As many as 19 diplomats from 14 friendly Countries i.e. Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea Iran Madagascar, Maldives Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Nepal, Nigeria, Palestine and Tunisia participated in the Junior Diplomatic Course.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas was the Chief Guest in the Ceremony.
The Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood also attended the Graduation Ceremony. They also distributed the Certificates.
In her address, the parliamentary secretary said that the Junior Diplomatic Course was an excellent step towards building bonds of friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and the countries that were represented by the diplomats. She also underlined the importance of diplomacy as fundamental tool to promote peace and strengthen relations.
Andleeb Abbas added that the diplomats of these countries would be ambassadors of Pakistan in their countries.
Highlighting Pakistan’s special focus on the African continent, the parliamentary secretary termed it as “continent of the future”. She said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized an Envoys Conference on “Engage Africa”, to chart out a roadmap to further strengthen and deepen its relationship with Africa.
The parliamentary secretary said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was ambassador of peace and his vision of “peaceful neighbourhood” was a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
The Director General at the Foreign Service Academy (FSA) Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokhar said that the course helped to create better understanding of Pakistan’s foreign policy and conducive economic environment in Pakistan. He said that the course also provided a unique networking opportunity.
Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokhar further said that the FSA was imparting training not only for Pakistani diplomats but also for the foreign diplomats since 1981 and have trained over 1,400 FSP officers and 1,372 diplomats from 107 Countries. He congratulated the participants to become part of FSA Alumni.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, the Mauritian diplomat said that the course would create a network between our countries and help in strengthening bonds of durable relations.
The Mauritian diplomat said that Junior diplomatic course was a testimony of the strong desire and commitment of the Government of Pakistan to strengthen relations with friendly countries. She also said that all diplomats benefitted from the experience and knowledge of senior Pakistani diplomats, eminent scholars and personalities.
