PR. No. 256/2009
Date: 29/06/2009
PAKISTAN-NEPAL STATEMENT ON BILATERAL CONSULTATIONS
Pakistan 's Foreign Secretary Mr. Salman Bashir undertook a visit to Nepal on 27-29 June 2009 at the invitation of the Foreign Secretary of Nepal Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya.
During the visit, he called on the Prime Minister of Nepal, Right Honourable Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal , and conveyed cordial greetings as well as sentiments of solidarity from the people of Pakistan for the Nepalese people. He also delivered a message from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, His Excellency Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, to the Prime Minister of Nepal, with a cordial invitation to visit Pakistan .
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir also called on the Foreign Minister of Nepal, Her Excellency Ms. Sujata Koirala. He also conveyed to her the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Pakistan to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient time.
The Foreign Secretaries held Bilateral Consultations on 28 June 2009.
Pakistan and Nepal are close neighbours and good friends. The two countries enjoy cordial, cooperative and mutually-beneficial relations. These relations are based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference.
The two countries aspire for a peaceful and prosperous future both for their peoples and for the region as a whole. Pakistan deeply appreciates the eminent role played by Nepal in promoting cooperative regional perspectives in South Asia as illustrated by the hosting of the SAARC headquarters in Kathmandu .
It is in the aforementioned perspective that the two Foreign Secretaries reviewed the entire gamut of Pakistan-Nepal relations. They decided to comprehensively upgrade the bilateral relationship and in this context agreed on the essential elements of a shared strategy to take Pakistan-Nepal relations to new heights.
Both the Foreign Secretaries attached particular importance to enhancing trade and economic cooperation including through a Pakistan-Nepal Free Trade Agreement. They also decided to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, energy, environment, science & technology, IT, culture, education, and people-to-people contacts.
They affirmed their determination to further advance SAARC cooperation for ensuring future peace, stability and common prosperity for the region and the people of the two countries. The two Foreign Secretaries also discussed matters relating to connectivity and transportation.
The Foreign Secretaries exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest and agreed to further enhance their consultations and coordination in the regional and international fora.
The Foreign Secretary of Pakistan expressed deep appreciation to the people and the Government of Nepal for the warm reception and gracious hospitality extended to him and the members of his delegation during the visit.
The next round of the Foreign Secretary-level bilateral consultations would take place in Islamabad in 2010.
Islamabad
29 June 2009