Pakistan to further strengthen ties with Afghanistan: Gilani

ASSOCIATED PRESS SERVICE


ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan and Afghanistan have a deep rooted relationship based on shared history, culture, common faith and commonality of interest.Talking to Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Foreign Minister of Afghanistan who called on him at the Prime Minister House, the Prime Minister said Pakistan wants to further strengthen these ties including efforts to enhance trade with Afghanistan for which there is a great potential.Terming terrorism as a serious threat to peace and prosperity of the world, the Prime Minister said that a multi-pronged strategy is required to curb this menace.
He said that the government would pursue both long term as well as short term initiatives which include political, economic and law enforcement measures to address the issue. He further said that the meeting of the small Jirga would soon be held so as to achieve objectives of lasting peace in the region.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan desires to further enhance cooperation and coordination with Afghanistan in the diplomatic, economic and security fields.
He said regular contact between the two countries will go a long way in improving and strengthening the multifaceted relationship between the two countries.
The Prime Minister emphasized the need to promote bilateral and joint efforts to leverage the true potential of the region and said that Pakistan can play a stabilizing role in this regard challenges. Pakistan, he said, has been moving towards promoting mutually beneficial economic linkages across the region.
The Prime Minister said that a sovereign, strong, stable and vibrant Afghanistan is also in Pakistan’s own interest. Therefore, Pakistan has been consistently supporting Afghanistan in its reconstruction efforts as well as to help achieve, peace, stability and prosperity.
“The events in Afghanistan have a spill over affect on Pakistan therefore we will continue our support for peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan in order to maintain regional stability,” the Prime Minister added.
The Prime Minister said the international community needs to do more to support Afghanistan in its reconstruction efforts and help them in eradicating poppy cultivation through crop substitution and employment generation.
He appealed to the international community to help in creating conducive environment to enable Afghan refugees for their early return to their homeland.
The Prime Minister said that the misperception about linking Islam with terrorism should be dispelled. Islam, he said is a religion of peace and propagates tolerance, interfaith harmony and compassion.
The world needs to work harder to create interfaith, inter-civilization and inter-cultural harmony among people belonging to different faiths to make the wold a harmonious and secure place to live, the Prime Minister added.
Spanta congratulated the Prime Minister on assuming his office. He said Afghanistan is equally keen to further improve relations with Pakistan. He said that regular contact between the two governments will help in strengthening relationship and improving understanding and further cementing relations between the two brotherly countries.
The Minister appreciated the cooperation extended by Pakistan in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Elaborating the link between security situation and the development process the Afghan Foreign Minister said that Afghanistan is working hard to improve the security situation to expedite the reconstruction and development process in Afghanistan. He appreciated the assistance provided by Pakistan in this regard.
He further said that his government is keen to see progress on the proposed gas pipeline project between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. he said Afghanistan is making an all ut effort to eradicate poppy cultivation and there is substantial improvement in this sector yet it would seek international support to sustain this progress. He also invited the Prime Minister to visit Afghanistan at his earliest convenience.