ISLAMABAD: Efforts on both sides to remove operational difficulties
in bilateral ties are yielding thus Pakistan’s relations with US are
fast heading back to normalcy.
Foreign Office Spokesperson
Tehmina Janjua said this on Thursday while replying to a question
during her weekly briefing. “You must have noticed positivity in
statements of late coming from the other side. We do have a strategic
convergence and partnership in the war against terrorism,” she
reiterated.
Earlier asked to react to the reported Indian
concerns over Chinese assistance in Azad Jammu and Kashmir Development
(AJK) development, she said, development within the territories of
Pakistan including AJK was the country’s sovereign right. “Indian
concerns were uncalled for and in negation of Pakistan’s sovereign
right to development within its territories,” she maintained.
She
told as part of focused regional outreach, President Asif Ali Zardari
visited Urumqi and made a keynote address at the China-Eurasia Economic
Forum. In his address the president underscored the importance of
regional, economic integration, regional connectivity and of
Asia-Europe corporate sector cooperation. He also had a detaield and
substantive meeting with the Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiant. He also
met important leaders of the Chinese Corporate sector.
She
further told that the President participated in the Quadrilateral
Summit of Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Russain Federation and Tajikistan
at Dushanbe on September, 2, 2011. The joint statement issued at the
conclusion of this important summit forms a landmark in the region’s
efforts to build an edifice of peace, stability, and shared prosperity
on the sure and enduring foundations of multifarious collaboration
spanning the economic, commercial, scientific and cultural fields. The
leaders of the four countries agreed to take measures aimed at
enhancing regional trade and launching joint projects in energy,
transport, communications and infrastructure development. Enhancing
regional connectivity through joint projects for road, rail and air
links and establishing an energy grid in the region were some of the
important themes of the Summit, she said.
She held that the
four countries agreeed to take collective action to deal with the
challenges common to the region, incluidng drug trafficking,
trans-border organised crimes, extremism and terrorism are a common
scourge of the region. The Summit expressed its support for the process
of national reconciliation undertaken by the Afghan Government.
Pakistan will host the next Quadrilatreral Summit in Islamabad, she
maintained. She told that Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has
concluded a 2-day visit of Kazakhstan where he held substantive
discussions with President Nazarbayev and the Prime Minister Karim
Mssimov. The two sides agreed to establish Foreign Minister level
consultative mechanism, to steer bilateral cooperation in trade,
energy, infrastructure development and regional connectivity, she
underlined.
She said that Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar
Salehi is currently in Islamabad for the meeting of Joint Economic
Commission which is led from our side by Minister Finance. The Iranian
Foreign Minister has met the Prime Minister and will call on the
President later today, she added.
She stated that he held talks
with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. The Iran-Pakistan Joint
Economic Commission aims at strengthening bilateral economic relations
and this meeting of JEC will provide important substantive inputs into
the visit by the Prime Minister to Iran. High on priority in this
regard are enhancing transportation and communication links and
important projects in the energy sector as well as enhancing mutually
beneficial economic cooperation and trade including Preferential Tariff
Arrangements, she said. Online
