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Date: 13/05/2009   

REMARKS BY THE FOREIGN MINISTER AT THE INAUGURAL SESSION

Your Excellency, Mr. Hamid Karzai,
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Your Excellency, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani

My brother, Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta

Excellencies, Colleagues, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on my own behalf I feel honoured for summing up the proceeding of the inaugural session of the  of third Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan.  It is our delight to co-host this meeting with our Afghan brethren and we are particularly grateful to President Hamid Karzai for gracing this occasion.

2. Afghanistan is the heart of Asia. It is the cross-roads of world civilizations, and the bridge that links them. The prosperity and stability of our region and indeed the world, is premised on a stable and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace within and without.   No one understood this when our beloved national poet Mohammad Iqbal described Afghanistan in more or less the same way nearly three quarters of a century back. Had the world understood his vision and philosophy and worked on it, things would have been very different today. But it is never too late. Our multifaceted and numerous engagements with Afghanistan are the steps in the right direction.

3. I would like to recall with satisfaction the important consultations that have lately taken place in key capitals, Tehran, Moscow, Ankara, Kabul and Islamabad, as also in Washington and The Hague on various forums and platforms.  Add to it the likely deliberations and outcome of 3rd RECCA and we have a bouquet of hopes ambitions and aspirations.

4. I have had the privilege of being privy to all. It is gratifying to note the growing international consensus on the urgency to tackle pervasive poverty, ignorance and underdevelopment. There is consensus, in particular among Afghanistan’s neighbours to give shape to a trans-regional development agenda tailored to Afghan needs and the specifications of our region.

5. For us in Pakistan, there is no greater priority than a prosperous and stable Afghanistan. Our two countries are linked by centuries old ties of heritage and history, custom and culture. Ours is a kinship that transcends the bonds of time and geography. Through ages, our people have prospered together, and jointly faced test and tribulations. Our prospects are similarly linked. We strongly feel that an investment in strengthening Pak-Afghan linkages and their peoples is a prudent investment in the future of our two countries and the region. 

6. By bringing together Afghanistan’s neighbours, and international partners and affiliates, the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference has provided us a viable and useful platform to strategize and synergize. 

7. The earlier two Conferences, in Kabul and New Delhi did commendable work in identifying key areas of cooperation and it is my strong hope that the outcome of this Third Conference will go a step further and produce a positive and visible impact on the lives of the people.

8. May I on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, express my profound gratitude and very deep appreciation to all the distinguished guests who honoured this august gathering from all over the world with the sole aim of seeing peace and prosperity return to this region with the focus on Afghanistan.  Your participation is a proof of the commitment which we all reserve for this noble cause. I also take this opportunity to express my thanks to the organizers of this very useful forum. 

Thanks.