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PR. No.296/2008

Date: 27/09/2008    

FOREIGN MINISTER QURESHI MEETS IRISH FOREIGN MINISTER

The Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi today met with the Foreign Minister of Ireland Mr. T.D. Martin on the sidelines of the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly.

The Foreign Minister appreciated the award conferred by Ireland on Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto. She had visited Ireland in 1994 and wanted to cultivate close relations with it. Ireland was a very important country for Pakistan particularly because of the growing number of Pakistanis living there. The Foreign Minister requested the Irish Foreign Minister to open its embassy in Pakistan which would give further impetus to the bilateral relations. He also requested the Irish Foreign Minister to encourage investment by Irish companies in Pakistan. He invited Ireland to participate in the Food Technology and Agricultural Show, EXPO 2008 and the IDEAS exhibition.

The Irish Foreign Minister said that the tragic assassination of Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto came as a big shock to him. He wished success to the new democratically elected government in Pakistan. He said that Irish companies were already present in Pakistan in several fields including the power sector and oil exploration. As part of its Asia strategy, Ireland wished to develop strong economic relations with Pakistan. He felt that Pakistanis were playing a prominent role in Ireland and welcomed their presence in the country.

New York
27 September 2008