President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday said that an important foreign policy objective of the government is to make economic revival and achieve sustained development. Talking to a delegation of Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR) that called on him here, the President said the government was vigorously pursuing its policy through three major priorities: expanding investment and trade, resolving the energy crisis, and addressing extremism and terrorism.
The President said business and investor-friendly policies of the government offered lucrative incentives to foreign investors for investment in the country. The President said that foundation stone of Pakistan's foreign policy was Quaid-e-Azam's dictum of "Peace within and peace without."
To achieve this end, the President said measures had been taken to safeguard country's security and eliminate extremism through concerted political and military strategies and by pursuing a policy of non interference in the affairs of other countries. The President said Pakistan was committed to eliminate terrorism once and for all and had rendered great sacrifices in terms of human and economic losses in its fight against terrorism and extremism.
He said Pakistan was keen to have friendly relations with all neighbouring countries particularly Afghanistan, Iran and India. Pakistan has suffered due to menace of terrorism and wants to address this issue jointly with these countries, he said, adding, Pakistan has welcomed peaceful transition of the government in Afghanistan and is looking forward to work closely on all issues with the new dispensation.
Referring to the continuous violations of cease-fire by India on the Working Boundary and Line of Control (LoC), the President hoped to have normal situation on the eastern front which would help have cordial relations between the two countries. Pakistan wanted to have good relations with India and the Prime Minister took the initiative by attending the oath taking ceremony of Indian Prime Minister, he added.
The President also congratulated the delegation on the 12th anniversary of Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR) and wished them luck in their future endeavours for further consolidating diplomatic relations between Pakistan and other countries. The President appreciated the activities of KCFR since its establishment in enhancing and strengthening cordial ties that exist between Pakistan and the other countries.
The President said that importance of foreign policy think tanks had been increasing as governments were now increasingly banking on the expert opinions and inputs of such think tanks as they played a crucial role in foreign policy formulation and its implementation.
The delegation of KCFR included, Rodolfo Martin Saravia, Ambassador of Argentina (Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Dean of America), Bakhitbek Shabarbayev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan (Dean of Central Asia), Mohamed Ebrahim Abdulqader, Ambassador of Bahrain (Dean of Arab Group), Petros Mavroidis, Ambassador of Greece (Dean of Europe), Ahmed Benflis, Ambassador of Algeria (Dean of African Group), Jayalath Weerakkody, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka (Dean of South Asia), Lars Gunnar Wigemark, Ambassador of European Union (Dean of the European Union), Peter Heyward, High Commissioner of Australia (Dean of the Rest of the World), Tomwit Jarnson, Ambassador of Thailand (Acting Dean of the ASEAN Countries) and Ahsan Mukhtar Zubairi, Secretary General of Karachi Council on Foreign Relations.
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