Pakistanˈs Sharif Mentions Iran As Friend In Foreign Policy Guidelines

Islamabad, June 8, IRNA – Pakistanˈs new Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, in foreign policy guidelines has stressed the need to deepen relations with Iran. The Prime Minister also expressed the desire to deepen relations with countries in the Middle East. ˈSaudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran are friendly countries with which we shall continue to pursue close cooperative relations,ˈ he said. ˈUnless the region is peaceful, our efforts for growth and development will not meet with success,ˈ Mr Sharif said in the policy guidelines to all Pakistani missions abroad, a Foreign Ministry statement said. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of developing regional consensus on supporting a stable government and peace in Afghanistan. He affirmed that a policy of an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process of peace and reconciliation will be persuaded. ˈWith China, which has always been a great friend and a significant economic partner, Pakistan will strengthen this valuable and much appreciated strategic relationship,” the statement quoted Mr Sharif as saying in the policy guideline. On relations with India, the Prime Minister stressed the need to progressively pursue normalcy in our bilateral relations, while actively seeking solutions for all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. The Prime Minister expressed the desire to deepen relations with countries in the Middle East. ˈSaudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran are friendly countries with which we shall continue to pursue close cooperative relations,ˈ Sharif said. On relations with the US, the Prime Minister noted that the two countries have many areas of common interest. ˈWe will build on convergence and wherever there are divergences we will work to try to minimize and remove such divergence,ˈ he said. The prime minister said with Russia, which is an important partner and regional power, Pakistan will continue to enhance ties. Despite its recent economic troubles, Europe continues to remain an important player on the global scene and is our largest trading partner. ˈWe will continue to engage with European countries, both bilaterally with individual countries, as well as multilaterally with the European Union,ˈ Sharif said. On terrorism, the Prime Minister said that the government will develop a comprehensive strategy and a national consensus in consultation with all political parties, security forces, media and the civil society in dealing with this phenomenon. ˈAt the same time, it is imperative to address the external dimension of terrorism,ˈ he said, adding, ˈThis would require plugging the sources of external funding of various extremists groups besides seeking cooperation of regional and global community. The Prime Minister expressed government’s firm commitment to address the energy crisis facing Pakistan in the shortest possible time. He encouraged the Head of Missions to identify potential bilateral and multilateral partners to help to address the energy crisis and formulate tangible project proposals in the traditional and renewable energy sectors./end