Pakistan wishes to boost cooperation with US in trade, energy: FM
- By Web Desk -
- Feb 16, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday said Pakistan looks forward to boosting cooperation with the United States in trade, energy and business sectors, Radio Pakistan reported.
Talking to a bipartisan group of US lawmakers led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Qureshi stressed on the importance of a broad-based and structured relationship between Pakistan and the United States for promoting the two countries’ shared interests.
He said his government was pursuing an ambitious domestic agenda of reform and people-centric development, which is contingent on peace and stability in Pakistan’s neighborhood.
About Afghanistan, the foreign minister said Pakistan wanted to see return of peace to Afghanistan and added that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict.
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He welcomed recent progress in the Afghan peace process, but stressed that a final settlement would remain elusive without the ownership of all Afghan parties as well as the broader region.
Senator Graham appreciated Pakistan’s support for peace in Afghanistan, noting that the progress made in last month’s Doha talks would not have been possible without Pakistan’s assistance.
Recalling his recent visit to Pakistan, the senator said that he had been impressed by the successes Pakistan achieved in its fight against terrorism.
He endorsed Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s desire for a strategic and comprehensive partnership between Pakistan and the United States and stressed upon establishing a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.