Reform targets, trade & investment: UK reiterates commitment to extend further assistance: FO

United Kingdom has reiterated its commitment to extend further assistance to help Pakistan meet its reform targets and enhance trade and investment, said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam. Updating media persons during a weekly press briefing about the engagements of Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in the UK on the eve of second Review of the Pakistan-UK Enhanced Strategic Dialogue, she said that the adviser met senior British Cabinet Members and discussed bilateral co-operation.
She said that Sartaj Aziz held meetings with International Development Secretary Justine Greening, Home Secretary Theresa May and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond on Thursday. She said that Secretary Greening appreciated the concrete steps taken by the present Pakistan government in the areas of tax collection and economic reforms, and was hopeful that the present political dispensation would be able to achieve the desired objectives. "She also stated that the Department for International Development (DFID) programme in Pakistan was their most successful programme and reiterated the UK's commitment to extend further assistance to help Pakistan meet its reform targets and enhance trade and investment in Pakistan," the spokesperson added.
She stated that the UK Home Secretary May lauded the Pakistan's new internal security policy and offered the UK's support for its timely and effective implementation. "She also said that Pakistan's stability was important for the entire South Asian Region and the UK was ready for its meaningful co-operation to strengthen regional security," Tasnim Aslam added.
She said that Defence Secretary Hammond discussed the ongoing defence co-operation between the two countries and hoped for a positive outcome of the next round of Defence Co-operation Forum (DCF) being held in London next week. The post-Nato withdrawal scenario in Afghanistan and its implications for the region were also discussed in detail, she added.
The spokesperson stated that Adviser Sartaj Aziz appreciated the UK's support and co-operation in diverse areas including socio-economic development, security and counter-terrorism, and defence. She said that Aziz also briefed his British counter-parts on the initiatives undertaken by Pakistan on revival of economy, addressing energy crisis, introducing transparency and good-governance and expanding tax base.