Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a phone call with Venezuela’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia on Sunday, with the two leaders emphasising the “considerable potential” for enhancing economic collaboration between their countries, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on the “longstanding friendly relations between Pakistan and Venezuela and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties”, the FO statement said.

It added that they discussed opportunities to expand cooperation across a broad range of sectors, including trade, investment, business, agriculture, IT, and other areas of mutual interest.

“Both sides underscored the considerable potential for enhancing economic collaboration and fostering stronger people-to-people contacts for the mutual benefit of the two countries,” the statement read.

It said that Dar emphasised the importance of sustained high-level engagement to “reinvigorate bilateral relations and further deepen cooperation”.

“Both sides appreciated the continued close coordination between Pakistan and Venezuela at multilateral forums on issues of common interest,” the statement said.

It further stated that Dar congratulated Plasencia on his appointment as the foreign minister and conveyed “Pakistan’s heartfelt condolences over the devastating earthquakes that recently struck Venezuela”, FO said.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes last month killed about 5,000 people, according to the government, though experts including the United States ​Geological Survey, have predicted a likelihood of a final death toll of nearly double that figure. The disaster was especially devastating in La Guaira state, home to the country’s main airport, a major port and hundreds ‌of high-rise residential buildings that collapsed either fully or partially.

During the phone call, Dar “reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the government and the people of Venezuela during this difficult time and expressed confidence in their resilience and recovery, the FO statement said.

For his part, Plasencia thanked Dar for Pakistan’s message of sympathy and solidarity and appreciated its “support and humanitarian solidarity with the victims of the natural disasters, underscoring the importance of mutual support in times of need”, it said.

According to the statement, Plasencia also acknowledged Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting dialogue and de-escalation in the regional situation involving the US and Iran and commended its commitment to peace and diplomacy.