Pakistan's Ambassador to the Netherlands Suljuk Mustansar Tarar, and The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Paul Huijts unveiled a special commemorative postage stamp issued by Pakistan Post to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Hague the other day.
Secretary General Paul Huijts was accompanied by Ambassador Wouter Jurgens, director of the Asia and Oceania Department, and other senior officers of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Tarar, in his remarks, focussed on the growing momentum of bilateral cooperation and high-level interactions, including the recent meetings between Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's annual session in New York and the COP-28 in Dubai. He highlighted the scope of further cooperation in the fields of trade, economics, IT and the import of manpower from Pakistan.
Secretary General Paul Huijts appreciated the initiative and the design of the stamp. He underscored the steady progress in the bilateral political and economic relations between Pakistan and the Netherlands.
The commemorative stamp was earlier launched by Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and the Netherlands Ambassador to Pakistan Henry de Vries, in Islamabad on November 2, 2023.
The unique edition of the postage stamp issued by Pakistan Post has been designed by an internationally celebrated Pakistani visual artist, Aisha Khalid, who is regarded as a pioneer in the neo-miniature global movement emerging from Pakistan. The special design of the stamp symbolizes the longstanding friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the Netherlands.
Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1948, Pakistan-the Netherlands bilateral cooperation has continued to grow in diverse sectors, including politics, trade and investment, science and technology, education, water management, climate change, and cooperation at multilateral institutions. The Netherlands is the second-largest trade destination for Pakistan's exports to the European Union.
Issuing a commemorative postage stamp was one of the many initiatives the Pakistan Embassy took to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the bilateral relations.