Pakistan's envoy to London Dr Maleeha Lodhi has said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's 3-day first official visit to Britain would strengthen strategic partnership between the two countries.
Briefing Pakistani journalists at the High Commission here on Thursday she said Shaukat Aziz was visiting UK at the invitation of Prime Minister Tony Blair will be arriving here on Sunday.
"We expect the visit to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, said Dr Lodhi while briefing them about details of the Prime Minister visit. Besides others Prime Minister would be accompanied by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
The wife of the Prime Minister Mrs Ruksana Aziz would be travelling with him and would have a meeting with British Prime Minister's wife Cherie Blair.
Shaukat Aziz would have a hectic schedule here. He would have talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair on March 6 on the entire gambit of Pak-UK including trade, economic, defence issues and the current issue of blasphemous sketches.
He would be the keynote speaker at an international conference on Asia 2015 being organised by Department for the International Development (DFID) and would speak on "Repositioning Asia: A Road Map." Tony Blair will introduce Prime Minister at the conference which speaks of Pakistan's stature, role extraordinary role during last many years, she added.
Dr Lodhi said both the countries were committed to a vision which was a partnership for peace and stability as was stipulated in the two statements signed between Pakistan and Britain following high level talks between President General Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair in December 2004 in London and on the lines of the UN in September last.
She said the two sides had inked a statement "UK-Pakistan, A Partnership for Peace and Prosperity at the end of President's visit to the UK in 2004 which covered different aspects of relations between the two sides.
Their multifaceted ties are grounded in history, she said.
On Pak-UK defence relations, she said that as Britain would be taking over the command of Nato forces in Afghanistan in May/June hence both sides would be close co-operation at various levels.
Shaukat Aziz would call on Prince of Wales, Prince Charles and Archbishop Canterbury Dr Rowan D. Williams at Lambeth House.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Secretary for Department of International Development Hillary Benn and Defence Secretary John Reed would call on the Prime Minister at his hotel and would discuss with him matters of mutual interests.
Dr Lodhi said trade and investment aspect Pakistan-Britain relations were a very high priority area because Britain was the third largest trade partner of Pakistan.
She said Islamabad exports to Britain were $1.1 billion while its imports $700 million. An average annual increase of trade between the two sides was 20 percent, said the envoy.
Dr Lodhi said there would be two occasion when Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would be interacting with both multi-lateral and British Pakistani investors would brief them on the investment opportunities in the country.
There are 102 British companies already operating in Pakistan and the High Commission would like to increase both the volume of business and number of British companies working there. The visit would help further cement trade relations between the two countries.
One of the close bond in Pakistan-UK relations are the eight hundred thousand British Pakistanis, said the envoy.
Giving details of the programme, Dr Lodhi said soon after his arrival the Prime Minister would have a meeting with the Kashmiri leaders. This will be followed by meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Surakiart Sathirathai as the latter will also be attending the conference on Asia. During his stay here Shaukat Aziz would address British MPs and peers at House of Commons, Pakistani diaspora and meet members of the Pakistan-UK Overseas Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
He would also speak at the International Institute of Strategic on the subject of "Pakistan's Pivotal Role for Regional Peace, Stability and Progress."
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