Want better ties with neighbours: FM Qureshi

Attends Informal meeting of ECO; meets Kuwaiti counterpart and US congressman

NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reiterated Islamabad’s resolve to maintain cordial relations with the country’s neighbours and highlighted the need to strengthen trade ties.

The foreign minister held various high-level diplomatic engagements as part of his trip to the United Nations to attend the upcoming general assembly session. Qureshi held meetings with the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), Kuwait’s foreign minister and Congressman Joe Wilson.

FM Qureshi also emphasised on regional cooperation to establish long-lasting peace and stability.

FM attends ECO meeting

The foreign minister attended the 25th Informal Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organisation on Tuesday, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Qureshi, keeping in view the importance of the ECO platform, said that “Pakistan enjoys fraternal and brotherly relations with ECO member countries,” and added that “these relations can be further strengthened with projects that ensure regional connectivity,” said the minister citing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a great example of regional connectivity.

In order to strengthen trade ties, Qureshi also supported the idea of revisiting the ECO trade agreement, which aims to promote trade liberalisation among the ECO member states. He also supported the strengthening of the ECO Transit Trade Framework Agreement, which would enable the region to function as a bridge between the North and the South and Europe and Asia.

Foreign Minister Qureshi informed the forum that Pakistan was upgrading its rail and transport infrastructure to facilitate trade with regional countries and added that the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad corridor and the Pakistan-Iran-Turkmenistan rail link were being made functional.

Huddle with Kuwait’s minister

As part of ongoing bilateral meetings, Qureshi also met Kuwait’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs.

Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah invited his Pakistani counterpart to visit Kuwait at the earliest, which was accepted by Qureshi.

The foreign ministers expressed confidence that such visits would provide further impetus to the exemplary relations both countries currently maintain.

Expressing the desire to further deepen and broaden this relationship, Kuwait’s foreign minister noted that there was immense untapped potential, especially in the energy sector.

Reciprocating the goodwill, FM Qureshi underscored that Pakistan placed a high priority in maintaining fraternal relations with Kuwait.

“This was a relationship marked by the close convergence of views on issues of mutual concern including a shared vision for regional peace and stability,” Qureshi added.

FM Qureshi also emphasised the need to further enhance trade and investments in various sectors including agriculture, agro-industries, fisheries and oil exploration in Pakistan. He added that easing visa requirements for citizens of both countries will also contribute to this end.

Congressman Joe Wilson calls on FM

Congressman Joe Wilson, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina, also called on Foreign Minister Qureshi.

Wilson currently serves on both the US House Foreign Affairs and the House Armed Services Committees. He congratulated the foreign minister on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) election victory.

He emphasised the need for continued cooperation between Pakistan and US for achieving their common objectives in the region.
During the meeting, Qureshi outlined Islamabad’s domestic and foreign policy priorities and added that a major part of the government’s wide-ranging development agenda was focused on delivering education, jobs and opportunities to the youth.

FM Qureshi also shared Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision for a peaceful region, which was critical to achieving the government’s ambitious socio-economic plans for Pakistan. He said, “Pakistan desires a broad-based relationship with the United States that was based on mutual trust and respect.”

Appreciating the congressional assistance for enhancing Pakistan’s counter-terrorism capacity in the past, Qureshi noted that, “Pakistan has successfully turned the corner in its fight against terrorism, however, at a great cost of human life and resources.”