BRUSSELS, April 24: Pakistan and the European Union will hold ministerial talks in Luxembourg on April 27 despite recent tension over the European Parliament’s decision to boycott talks with a Pakistani senate delegation which also included Maulana Samiul Haq.

Sources in Brussels said Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri would be travelling to Luxembourg on Wednesday as scheduled for a meeting with Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister and current EU spokesman. Senior European Commission officials are also expected to attend the talks.

Both sides are eager not to allow the European Parliament’s unexpected decision to call off talks with the Pakistani senate team to cast a pall over a relationship which has been improving rapidly in recent months.

Pakistan has, however, lodged protests both in Islamabad and Brussels with the European Union authorities, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands over the mistreatment of Senator Samiul Haq.

Despite the recent furore, EU and Pakistani diplomats say both sides are eager to upgrade bilateral relations, with the spotlight on giving a much-needed political focus to the ties.

The recent entry into force of a new EU-Pakistan agreement allows for regular political discussions between the two sides, covering regional and international issues.

EU governments have been keeping a close watch on recently warming ties between Pakistan and India, with Mr Kasuri expected to brief the meeting on President Pervez Musharraf’s visit to India earlier this month and Islamabad’s determination to keep the issue of Kashmir high on the agenda.

Talks will also focus on Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, with the Pakistani delegation expected to repeat the points made earlier this year by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in Brussels about the need for more Western efforts to promote economic development and encourage trade with Islamic nations.

Continuing Pakistani dissatisfaction over EU trade measures, including Islamabad’s exclusion from trade concessions under GSP Plus and anti-dumping duty on Pakistani bedlinen exports, will be highlighted.

Pakistan’s failure to secure duty-free access to EU markets for its textile and clothing goods is a serious financial blow to the country’s textile exporters. In addition to losing access to GSP Plus, Pakistani exports also face an EU anti-dumping duty on bedlinen exports to Europe and are currently facing fierce competition from China and India in the European market.

Pakistani officials in Brussels say Islamabad is still contesting the EU decision on GSP Plus and also arguing its case against the anti-dumping duty.

EU officials, meanwhile, are expected to make similarly strong demands that Pakistan must sign a so-called ‘readmission agreement’ under which any Pakistani national found living illegally in the EU will be automatically accepted back into the country.

Although the trade and readmission issues are never linked publicly, EU officials make no secret of the fact that the signature by Pakistan of such an accord will help the overall relationship between Brussels and Islamabad.

EU officials have hinted that signature of the pact could, for instance, facilitate the granting of Schengen visas to Pakistani nationals.

Pakistan, however, argues that such promises are much too vague and it cannot sign a blanket readmission deal which could mean the entry on its territory of third country nationals.