Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday expressed the desire to further strengthening the bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Czech Republic in all fields. He said Pakistan greatly values its relationship with the Czech Republic, which is based on mutual respect and similarity of views on various regional and international issues.
The Prime Minister was talking to the outgoing Ambassador of Czech Republic, Alexander Langer who paid a farewell call on him here at his chamber in the Parliament House this afternoon. The Prime Minister said that both Czech Republic and Pakistan have supported each other at the international fora on the basis of their principled position on significant international issues.
He said Pakistan is appreciative of Czech investment in Pakistan and would like to see more Czech companies investing in the energy and infrastructure projects. "We would also like to see more co-operation in the fields of culture, education and science and technology", he added.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan is currently facing energy shortages due to its expanding economy and expressed the desire that the two countries would be able to explore the possibility of co-operation in the energy sector particularly in renewable energy sources with the objective of enhancing energy security. He told Langer that Pakistan greatly values the instant response from the government and the people of the Czech Republic to the devastating earthquake in October 2005.
The Prime Minister appreciated the services of the outgoing Ambassador in promoting mutually beneficial co-operation between Pakistan and the Czech Republic during his tenure in Islamabad.
He said it is commendable that the trade between the two countries increased manifold during the tenure of Langer. He however stressed that there was enormous potential to improve the volume of trade between the two countries, which currently stands at $131 million. The Prime Minister said the private sectors of the two countries need to be put in direct contact to take lead in raising the trade level.
He said the signing of MoU between the Chambers of Commerce and Industries is a step in the right direction to strengthen bilateral trade. The outgoing Ambassador thanked the government of Pakistan for facilitating his stay in Islamabad and said that he will fondly cherish the stay which was professionally productive and personally enriching.