Pakistan

NATO seeking long-term partnership with Pakistan: Rasmussen

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of the Nato said the organisation is seeking a long-term partnership with Pakistan.

Express July 21, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) said the organisation is seeking a long-term partnership with Pakistan, noting that Pakistan's relation with Nato is not limited to Afghanistan only.

The Nato secretary general was speaking to the media in a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during his first official visit to Islamabad. He further said that reports of al Qaeda's presence in Pakistan are baseless.

Rasmussen said that Nato will not leave Afghanistan prematurely emphasising that a premature exit can result in a Taliban take over.

The Nato chief held talks with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi focussing on promoting defence cooperation between Nato and Pakistan. He is also expected to hold talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani.

COMMENTS (5)

Asif Khan | 14 years ago | Reply Now Anders Fogh will neutralize Haliry comments about Al-Qaeda presence in Pakistan and few other baseless comments. Play role of (goos cop and a bad cop) They want people of Pakistan should remain live in fool of paradise and in any condition they want should be on top or safe weather U.S/NATO fight or exit from Afghanistan. This is prime agenda these days in my view. Rest they don't need to do anything we ourselves sufficient at all level to loss opportunities for standing on our own feet and taking leading role as a country.

Hamza Baloch | 14 years ago | Reply Thanks for this "statement" mr rasmussen. We Pakistanis are now in habit of listening such statements with no practical work :)

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

KM | 14 years ago | Reply They all come to Pakistan with a mission, as Pakistan time and again has approved to be dumping ground for the West and they play with us from the Eastern side, so as to bring us to the negotiating table. While it is important for the West for us to guard our Western borders, it is of zero importance for the West to help us with our ailing issue of Kashmir on our eastern border. Time has proven that every nation works on its own interests, whereas Pakistan is the only nation that dances to the tune of other's interests. Hence, we have corrupt governance which is of negligible importance to the West, and in a way works as an inherent bribe for their interests. Wonder, if we would ever have a single pakistani with nerves to understand the root cause of all this and get us all together to roll out as ONE. WE STILL AWAIT THE DAY ANXIOUSLY!

Zarghun Khan | 14 years ago | Reply If importance means world's attention, then Taliban and Al-Qaeda are more important than Pakistan because they attract more world attention. The world leaders do not travel to Pakistan in order to sign trade deals, they travel to Pakistan for the reasons of terrorism, nuclear proliferation and religious bigotry, of which Pakistan has unfortunately become the epicenter.

Shaukatbrohi | 14 years ago | Reply FM Qureshi is having busy weeks recently and meeting with highly important people from west to neighboring east, Pakistan is at an important role its significance in world issues is clear from last weeks visitors to Islamabad..........Geo Pakistan

Replying to X