Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri has said Pakistan's foreign policy is aimed at promoting peace and security at the regional and global level. He was addressing a seminar on 'Pakistan's Foreign Policy' organised by All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (Appsma) at Hamdard Centre here on Sunday.
Kasuri said, "We believe that peace and stability provide the best environment for eradicating poverty, accelerating economic growth and the achievement of full economic potential of Pakistan."
He said Pakistan's foreign policy imperatives with special reference to our neighbours; India, Afghanistan and Iran.
The minister said government's foremost priority is to reign in extremist forces that not only threaten us internally but also impede regional stability, security and co-operation.
He further said at the same time, we are striving to promote regional peace and stability through:
Improvement of relations with India and the solution of all outstanding issues including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which is imperative for the achievement of strategic stability in South Asia and a bright future for the region and prosperity for our people.
Supporting efforts for the promotion of peace, stability and reconstruction in Afghanistan are important for our internal stability as well as the realisation of our economic goals vis-a-vis Central Asia.
Reducing tensions in the Gulf Region that are shaping an ominous confrontation that could have incalculable consequences at the regional and international level. A peaceful resolution of the conflict between Iran and the West over the nuclear issue is of importance to Pakistan.
Talking about composite dialogue, he said our relations with India, characterised by suspicion and mistrust, pose a challenge to peace and stability in South Asia.
At the heart of this mistrust lies the unresolved dispute of Kashmir, which not only adversely affected regional peace and security but also hindered economic development and efforts to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and disease, he added.
Kasuri said, "We have made it clear that we do not wish to enter into an arms race with India, nuclear or conventional. We believe that such a race will be destructive for the entire region."
Pakistan-India relations have come a long way from the tense period in 2001 and 2002 when India had amassed its troops along the Pakistani border, he said and added that today the situation is much more stable.
Both countries are engaged in the Composite Dialogue process since January 2004 and agreed on several Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to remove mistrust between them.
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