Pakistan Hopeful Of ASEAN Full Dialogue Partner Status

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Pakistan looks forward to being upgraded into an ASEAN full dialogue partner during Malaysia's chairmanship of the regional grouping this year, said its Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Reform, Prof Ahsan Iqbal. He said Pakistan recognised Malaysia as the 'gateway' to ASEAN and was confident Malaysia could help the South Asian country better integrate with the association and its member states. "If it happens during the Malaysian chairmanship, that will be a big breakthrough," he told Bernama in a recent interview at the Pakistan High Commission here. Pakistan was accorded the status of a sectoral dialogue partner on July 23, 1993. Ahsan was here on an official visit recently, and met with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala. The minister said he believed that as an ASEAN full dialogue partner, Pakistan would have better cooperation and relations in various sectors such as trade, culture and social as well as student exchange and media exchange programmes. Meanwhile, on bilateral relations, Ahsan said Pakistan looked forward to high-level visits from Malaysia to further enhance the ties. Stating that Malaysia and Pakistan enjoyed a great political relationship, Ahsan said such visits could improve trade relations. "This is also another purpose of my visit. To meet with the leadership in Malaysia and try to take Malaysia-Pakistan cooperation to the next level," he said. --BERNAMA