Pakistan on Friday said increased economic and trade ties between continents of Asia and Africa will facilitate co-operation in other areas to face the complex problems of development and poverty.
"Pakistan fully supports the idea of fostering a new strategic partnership between Asia and Africa," Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar said while addressing the Second Africa-Asia Sub-Regional Organisations Conference (AASROC-11).
South Africa and Indonesia Co-Chairs the grouping.
Khokhar said problems facing the two continents were complex and daunting.
The driving motivation to make this inter-continental co-operative endeavour a success flows from the common need and desire to effectively address the challenges of development and fighting poverty, he added.
These two major challenges, he said, had been exacerbated by reduced market access, rising debt burdens, declining development assistance and investment and financial flows to the countries of two major continents.
He said the recommendations made by the AASROC Ministerial Working Group meeting in Durban earlier this year provided necessary institutional framework to build a mechanism for co-operation between Asia and Africa.
The Secretary noted with satisfaction that the Group had agreed to primarily focus the new strategic partnership on intensifying co-operation in the area of trade, investment and human resource development.
"The working group also recognised the pivotal role that the private sector could play," he added.
Khokhar welcomed the establishment of the Asia-Africa Business Forum in Kuala Lumpur, in pursuance of the recommendation of the AASROC Ministerial Working Group at its meeting in Durban March 2004.
"Pakistan is of the firm view that enhanced trade and economic activity between our two continents and closer contacts between our two business communities would prove to be a critical asset in facilitating wider co-operation in all other areas," he added.
He expressed the confidence that the proposed Asia-Africa Business Summit would unite businessmen representing the chambers of commerce and industry of sub-regional organisations in a loose confederation.
Pakistan on its part, he added, would be happy to host a meeting of the Asia-Africa Businessmen in due course, in consultation with the member States.
The Foreign Secretary highlighted the low level of trade and investment that flow from the limited number of bilateral and regional trading arrangements between the two continents.
"The true potential of Asia-Africa Sub-Regional Co-operation, particularly in the field of trade is far from fully realised," he added.
He called for seriously examining various possibilities to stimulate trade and commercial co-operation between the two continents.
Pakistan, he said, would support the setting up of a Sub- Working Group, which could undertake an in-depth review of the existing status and future scope of trade and economic co-operation between Asia and Africa.
He also underlined the need of devising mechanisms to facilitate closer people to people interaction at all levels.
On the occasion, the Foreign Secretary also reiterated Pakistan's support to initiatives that seek to address the problems and crisis faced by the countries of Africa.
He said at the national level, the Government of Pakistan had been successfully operating a special technical assistance programme for Africa since 1986.
Hundreds of young African professionals in various fields had benefited from this ongoing programme, he added.
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