News
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Pakistan and Albania pledge to strengthen relations
* Both countries agree to relax visa restriction for officials and businessmen
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Albania and Pakistan have pledged to further strengthen the exiting relations between two countries through regular parliamentary and executive level interactions.
This was agreed in a meeting between National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza and Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in Tirana, according to a message received from Albania.
Talking to the Speaker, the Prime Minister termed Pakistan “a true friend of Albania” and paid rich tributes to the stature of Dr Mirza as the first woman Speaker of the Muslim World and recalled his earlier meeting with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1995. “Bhutto was the most powerful woman I’ve ever met and you remind me so much of her,” Berisha said.
War on terror: He also mentioned Pakistan’s significant role during the Balkan crisis, terming it unforgettable for the Albanian people, spread across the Balkan region. Berisha also praised Pakistan for its continued role in the global war against terrorism and said that as victim of similar situations, Albania fully understands the problems of the people and Government of Pakistan. “The world must acknowledge Pakistan’s contributions and should not look into the realities with a narrow-minded approach,” the prime minister added.
Dr Mirza expressed her gratitude for the prime minister’s support to Pakistan in its difficult times and traced the historic and cultural similarities between the two nations. She stressed for building a strong and meaningful relationship between the two countries through further parliamentary exchanges, business opportunities and people-to-people contacts. She informed the Prime Minister of her suggestion to form a joint parliamentary commission of the two parliaments, in order to give a purposeful direction to the bilateral relations. “All matters eventually come to the Parliament. It is therefore important to create understanding and identify vistas of possible cooperation at this level,” the Speaker observed.
Berisha fully endorsed Dr Mirza’s proposal and was confident that with the revival of the diplomatic missions of the two countries, such measures will get an impetus to the strengthening of existing bilateral relations between the two countries. On the issue of Pakistan’s possible recognition of Kosovo, Mirza assured the prime minister that an appropriate decision would be taken soon in light of the international law.
“My purpose of bringing my parliamentarians to Albania is that the real representatives of the people should understand the issues in their right perspective and then pursue them accordingly,” the Speaker said.
Visa relaxation: It was also agreed between the two leaders that visa restrictions would be relaxed for the officials and the business communities of the two countries in order to encourage frequent people-to-people contacts. Pakistan also offered Albania cooperation in the fields of agriculture, industry and education. The prime minister assured his government’s all-out support to Pakistani businessmen, saying Albania offers the most favorable business opportunities to its Pakistani brothers.
The Speaker also held an important meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Albania Edmond Haxhinasto in which the two sides stressed the need to implement the proposed MoUs and agreements regarding double taxation and visa relaxations. The speaker assured complete investment protection to the Albanian investors in Pakistan.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk