Expressing solidarity with Iranian nation and government over the outbreak of the coronavirus, Qureshi said, “Economic sanctions have caused many problems for Iran in the fight against coronavirus, and thousands have infected and hundreds have died so far.”
“Today, the Iranian people need medicines, artificial respirators, and other medical supplies, but economic sanctions have become a major obstacle to meeting those needs,” he added.
Qureshi noted, “Pakistan is deeply concerned about the current situation,” adding, “We believe that the consequences of the spread of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran will not be limited to this country alone.”
Pakistani FM said, “We have asked the ambassadors of the P5 + 1 countries in Islamabad to convey the message of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on the urgent lifting of US sanctions to their countries.”
“Iran's economic sanctions should be lifted on the basis of a humanitarian approach and a guarantee of public health,” he stressed, adding, “With a humanitarian approach, Pakistan has begun its diplomatic efforts to help lift Iran's sanctions.”
In an interview with Associated Press on Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed that lifting the US sanctions on Iran would help this country to fight against the coronavirus.
Calls for lifting unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran has increased during the recent weeks as the country is facing problems with buying its required medicine and equipment to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, Washington has announced that it will not abandon the maximum pressure policy.
Iran is one of the hard-hit countries by the virus. As of Saturday, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran rose to 1,556 with 20,610 confirmed cases.
MNA/IRN 83722956
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