After the United States, Japan also pressed Pakistani government to ensure transparent and effective utilisation of its $1 billion assistance pledged during the Tokyo conference in April 2008. The emphasis was made at a meeting of visiting Foreign Minister of Japan Katsuya Okada with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi here on Monday.
This was the first foreign visit of the Japanese Foreign Minister after assuming charge in the new government of Japan. Giving briefing to media, Kazuo Kodama, the spokesman of Japanese Foreign Minister quoted his foreign minister as saying "His country sees complete transparency and effective utilisation of the Japan''s taxpayers'' money as being given to Pakistan under the pledges made at the Tokyo conference." He said that $1 billion assistance is not a small amount coming from the pockets of the people of Japan, which should be spent in a transparent and efficient manner.
He said Pakistan''s leadership assured Japan to spend the money in transparent manner. He said his country acknowledges the role of Pakistan in the counterterrorism and assured Japan''s support in overcoming the challenges including terrorism, economic and energy crisis being faced by Pakistan. "Japan hopes that people of Pakistan will overcome the difficulties and his country would reinforce its assistance to Pakistan for counterterrorism and socio-economic development of its people," he quoted the minister as saying at the meeting with the Pakistani authorities.
He said that pledge of $1 billion would be disbursed during next two years. The spokesman stated that Japanese Minister also sought co-operation from Pakistan for playing its due role in controlling nuclear proliferation and sign CTBT and NPT as non-nuclear state.
To a question, the spokesman of the Japanese Minister said Japan seeks N-co-operation from both Pakistan and India to maintain peace and stability in the region, adding Japan itself has been victim of the nuclear technology. The spokesman said both sides also discussed the issue of Dr Abdul Qadir Khan and Japan urged Pakistan to remove the suspicions of the international community. He informed the media that Pakistan''s Foreign Minister assured Japan that Khan''s network had been broken and there is no need of fear about it. The spokesman said Japanese Foreign Minister maintained that a stable and prosperous Pakistan was not only important for Japan but for the international community as well. Japan would, therefore, extend every possible support to Pakistan to overcome its present economic difficulties.
Kodama added that Foreign Minister Qureshi assured his Japanese counterpart of playing effective role in maintaining peace in the region and briefed him about improvement of Pakistan''s diplomatic relations with India which was necessary for stability and prosperity in South Asia. The spokesman said Qureshi also sought expansion of bilateral trade and use of Gwadar Port by Japan for sending its goods to the Central Asian states.
He said Qureshi also briefed the Japanese Foreign Minister about Pakistan''s principled position on non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. He said Pakistani authorities also sought Japan government and private sector''s co-operation for improving bilateral trade and investment.
He added that Japan''s minister was of the view that the government of Pakistan should offer attractive incentives for the Japanese investors in Pakistan as the country''s preference has changed from Pakistan and China to Vietnam, India and Indonesia keeping in view the comparatively cheap labour in these countries. To a question, he said the issue of the Kerry-Lugar bill is bilateral matter of Pakistan and the US and his country would not comment on it.
Comments
Comments are closed.