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PR. No. 276/2009
Date: 21/07/2009
FOREIGN MINISTER'S PARTICIPATION IN 16TH ARF IN THAILAND
22-23 JULY 2009
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be leading Pakistan 's delegation to the 16 th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting being convened in Phuket ( Thailand ) on 22-23 July 2009.
The Foreign Minister will highlight Pakistan 's critical role in the ongoing struggle against terrorism and its impact on Pakistan 's economy. He will inform the participants about the law enforcement operations in Swat and adjoining areas, as well as Government's efforts to rehabilitate the dislocated persons.
The Foreign Minister will also reiterate Pakistan 's position on regional security situation, underlining the need for a holistic regional approach to address the challenges facing South Asia .
The 16 th ARF will discuss regional and international issues, review ARF Inter-sessional activities and deliberate on future directions of the ARF. The role of ARF in peace and security in Asia-Pacific region with focus on Afghanistan and Korean Peninsula; non-traditional security threats with focus on disaster relief and pandemics; and role of ARF in emerging regional architecture are key agenda points. The leaders will also discuss ARF Vision Statement setting future directions of the Forum.
On the margins of the ARF, the Foreign Minister has an extensive program of bilateral meetings with his counterparts including US Secretary of State, Foreign Ministers of Australia, China , Indonesia , Malaysia , New Zealand , Russia and the host Thailand .
Pakistan joined ARF in 2004 and has been actively participating in its activities. Presence in the ARF provides Pakistan an opportunity to interact closely with South East Asian states as well as other major powers and present its viewpoint on important contemporary issues of regional and global concern.
The ARF, the security arm of ASEAN, aims at fostering constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest and concerns and making notable contributions to the efforts on confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in Asia-Pacific region. In addition to the 10 ASEAN countries, the membership of the ARF includes Australia , Bangladesh , Canada , China , EU, India , Japan , South and North Koreas , Mongolia , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea , Russia , Sri Lanka , Timore Leste and US.
Islamabad
21 July 2009
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