UK's Keir Starmer, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif agree to ‘deepen' ties

London: During their meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the fringes of the UNGA in New York, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Sharif decided to strengthen bilateral relations in the areas of trade, climate change, and security.

Starmer also congratulated Pakistan on being elected earlier this year as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2025–2026 period, according to a Downing Street readout of the discussions on Thursday.

“They discussed the deep relationship between the UK 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 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 Starmer.

“This is intimately linked with the situation in Gaza where, again, we need to see an immediate ceasefire. It shames us all that the suffering in Gaza continues to grow. The answer is diplomacy, the release of all the hostages, and the unfettered flow of aid to those in need. That is the only way to break this devastating cycle of violence and begin the journey towards a political solution for the long term which delivers the long-promised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel,” he said.

In his first speech to UNGA as the UK's recently elected Labour Prime Minister, Starmer said the UN needs to "work together for peace, progress and equality" – including "preventing a regional war in the Middle East".

With reference to the UN's role, he added: “The entire framework of arms control and counter-proliferation - painstakingly constructed over decades – has begun to fall away. Iran continues to expand its nuclear activity in violation of its international commitments. Incredible new technologies like AI are being deployed for military use without agreed rules.

"These are difficult challenges to grip and too urgent to ignore.

We must put new energy and creativity into conflict resolution and conflict prevention, reverse the trend towards ever-greater violence, make the institutions of peace fit for purpose, and hold members to their commitments under the UN Charter,” he said.

Starmer also went on to hold discussions with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, as well as a meeting with US presidential candidate Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York. A meeting with his Democrat opponent, US Vice-President Kamala Harris, reportedly could not be scheduled due to diary clashes.

With PTI inputs