Pakistan and UK conclude 7th round of ‘Arms Control Dialogue’ in London

Celina Ali

Islamabad: The 7th round of the Pakistan–United Kingdom Dialogue on Arms Control, Non-Proliferation, and Disarmament has successfully concluded in London, reinforcing a crucial aspect of the broader bilateral engagement between the two nations.

The delegations were led by Ambassador Tahir Andrabi, Additional Foreign Secretary for Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security at Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Stephen Lillie CMG, Director of Defence and International Security at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

During the comprehensive discussions, both sides delved into a wide array of critical topics, including international and regional security, strategic stability, arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation. The agenda also covered discussions on key multilateral forums and instruments such as the United Nations General Assembly, the Conference on Disarmament, and significant international conventions like the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Multilateral export control regimes and the implications of emerging technologies were also addressed.

A significant part of the dialogue focused on bilateral cooperation concerning the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, an area of ongoing mutual interest.

Since its inception in 2015, this dialogue has served as an important platform for fostering mutual understanding and promoting cooperation on sensitive global security issues. Recognizing the continued importance of these consultations, both Pakistan and the UK have agreed to hold the next round of this dialogue in Islamabad in 2026.