| Joint Press Conference by H.E. Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and H.E. Sartaj Aziz, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on National Security and Foreign Affairs |
| 7/24/2013 |
H.E. MR SARTAJ AZIZ:
bismillah arrahman arrahim.
I am grateful to the honourable Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul for his warm welcome and his kind words. As he rightly pointed out, I have brought here a message of cordiality and goodwill from Pakistan. The new government and the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is deeply commited to strengthening Pakistans fraternal ties to the Afghan people.
The main purpose of my visit, as some of you may know, is to convey a formal invitation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to President Karzai to visit Pakistan.
This is an important phase in Afghanistans history with the process of security transition and NATO troops are leaving and also a political transition, and therefore we wish Afghanistan every success in these two important milestones. For us a peaceful and stable and united Afghanistan is in the vital interest of Pakistan because without peace and security in Afghanistan, peace and security in Pakistan cannot be ensured. That is why Pakistan will continue to support the efforts for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. We believe the process must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. In this process inclusiveness is importance. Pakistan approaches even-handed and we wish every group in the Afghan family to be part of the reconciliation process.
And our Prime Minister yesterday made an important policy statement when he visited the Foreign Ministry that Pakistan will not interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and that we support no particular sides, as he said. Pakistan would also reinforce regional efforts in support of the reconciliation process and persuade all regional countries to adopt the same policy of non-interference and non-choosing any particular group. At the same time, we also want to improve Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship because that demands our shared objectives of peace, stability and prosperity can only be promoted with if we are closer if we have closer economic and trade ties.
And we hope that as the peace process and reconciliation process move forward we will be able to undertake many joint projects and expand our trade and investment corporation. It is also our hope that in the coming weeks and months, our joint efforts will lead to better mutual understanding, close cooperation and restoration of confidence and trust.
The new government in Pakistan is desirous of deepening and broadening our fraternal relationship in all its dimensions and I am looking forward to the opportunity to exchange views on these subjects with the Afghan leadership. I also hope that these discussions will lead to a concrete agenda of corporation in trade, economic and of peace and reconciliation matters which will be taken up by President Karzai and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when President Karzai visits Pakistan.
In conclusion, I would like to share Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassouls hope and trust in the future of the two countries relationship and regional peace and regional cooperation that we would like to promote to the best of our ability and as speedily as possible.
Thank you.
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