News
Monday, April 02, 2012
Gilani hopeful of closer ties among Asian countries* PM says Pakistan wants strong ties with Iran on trade, energy
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday expressed his hope that Asian countries would enhance cooperation and expand their partnership to achieve the goal of shared progress and prosperity.
In an interview to China Radio International in Boao, the prime minister said Asian countries should use platforms such as Boao Forum for an in-depth cooperation. Gilani said the world was going through a change and it faced an economic crisis that had affected many countries.
“... It is time that we sit together and Asian countries should form a uniform policy to combat all the challenges.” The prime minister said that despite difficult economic conditions, the performance of Asian countries was impressive. Countries in the Asian region could learn from the experiences of each other, he added. “I believe we can overcome obstacles and stay on the path of healthy and sustainable development.” The prime minister said Asian countries could expand and deepen cooperation in the fields of energy, culture, science, technology and education. About the Pakistan-China friendship, Gilani said Islamabad was grateful to Beijing for its assistance in economic development of Pakistan.
Gilani said several Chinese enterprises had come to invest in Pakistan and a number of Chinese were working on joint ventures in the country. Separately, in a meeting with Iranian Vice President Muhammad Javad Mohammadizadeh, Gilani said Pakistan wanted to enhance its bilateral relations with Iran, especially in energy and trade sectors.
He said realisation of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project would open new vistas of cooperation. “Pakistan is facing energy shortage,” Gilani said, adding that 1,000MW of power, being supplied from Iran to Pakistan, would help overcome the energy crisis.
The prime minister called for joint Pak-Iran efforts to ensure a peaceful and prosperous region. He said there was a need to address the issues of narcotics and drug-trafficking in the region. He said Pakistan considered Jundullah a terrorist outfit. He suggested opening of Pakistan's consulate in Bandar Abbas which, he added, would not only serve people but would also reduce the road distance by 1,000 kilometres.
In a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Karim Massimov, Gilani on urged Kazakhstan - the world's largest landlocked country – to benefit from Pakistan's “shortest route to seaports”.
The prime minister said Pakistan had an easy access for the Central Asian states to access the sea for the transportation of their goods. Gilani said Pakistan wanted to maintain strong trade and communication links with the energy-rich Kazakhstan. He also mentioned the Quadrilateral Agreement for Traffic in Transit (between Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) that facilitated a direct land route between the two countries. He expressed confidence that the Kazakh government would also facilitate easy access to Pakistani commodities to the Kazakh markets. Gilani also met Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on the sidelines of Boao Forum. Monti assured Pakistan of his country’s support to get the status of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP Plus) in the European Union.
Gilani said he hoped the GSP Plus would have substantial positive effects on Pakistan's economy.
GSP Plus – the European Union's generalised system of preferences – provides developing countries preferential access to the EU markets through reduced tariffs. Gilani said Pakistan and Italy shared common views on several issues, particularly on terrorism and the expansion of UN Security Council. He said Italy was an important partner in Pakistan's development process, including construction of water reservoirs and improvement of energy sectors. The prime minister expressed satisfaction over Pak-Italy defence cooperation and said the scope could be further enlarged to include joint military exercises.
On the Afghanistan issue, Gilani said Pakistan supported the reconciliation process which was Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.
Monti said Italy fully supported democratic process in Pakistan which, he said, was essential for political stability. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk