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PR. No. 169/2009
Date: 24/04/2009
FOREIGN MINISTER QURESHI RECEIVES SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES OFFRANCE AND BRITAIN FOR AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi received the Special Representative of France for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mr. Pierre Lellouche, and the Special Representative of Britain, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles separately today and discussed matters of mutual interest including counterterrorism and the overall regional situation.
The Foreign Minister briefed the two Special Representatives about the efforts being made by the Government towards building a national consensus on fighting extremism and terrorism in the country through a comprehensive national strategy. He apprised them of the progress being made in this regard in the Parliament, which is currently debating the report and recommendations prepared by the All Party Parliamentary Committee on National Security.
The Foreign Minister also briefed the two Special Representatives in detail about the expansion of relations and cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan during the last one year. He said it was necessary for our two countries to continue strengthening the mutual trust and confidence as the destinies of the two countries are inter-linked.
The Foreign Minister underlined the need for the international community to understand the complexities of the issues involved saying that the challenges confronting our region could only be addressed through a holistic approach. The Foreign Minister thanked France and Britain for their support to Pakistan at the recently-held meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan in Tokyo.
Mr. Lellouche conveyed President Nicolas Sarkozy’s strong support to the democratic Government of Pakistan in its efforts against terrorism and those aimed at strengthening civilian and democratic institutions. He said France was fully aware of the problems confronting our region and was looking forward to contributing effectively to their resolution.
Sir Sherard said that Pakistan was a proud Muslim democracy. Britain attaches immense importance to its relations with Pakistan and that it will continue supporting the process of building a strong long-term partnership between our two countries.
The issue of ten Pakistani students (who were arrested in the UK on April 8 and are presently in the custody of the United Kingdom Border Agency) also came up in the meeting with Sir Sherard. The Foreign Minister contended, inter alia, that the students be allowed to stay in Britain to complete their studies.
Islamabad
24 April 2009 |