Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan would like to reinvigorate its existing cordial multifaceted ties with Australia through enhanced trade, investment, social sector and capacity building co-operation between the two countries.
While thanking the Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who called on him at the PM's House on Tuesday, for the Australian offer of assistance in training Pakistani personnel in countering terrorism and for increased development assistance in education, health, agriculture and vocational training, the Prime Minister urged the Australian Government to consider granting Pakistan its Generalised Preferential System (GPS) facility.
He said that the GPS facility would not only help in bridging the widening trade gap between the two countries, it would enable Pakistan to generate new employment opportunities, a necessarily in its strategy in eliminating extremism and terrorism from the country.
The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction over the growing co-ordination between the two governments in the fields of counter terrorism and co-operation in the defence fields and hoped that both sides would take concerted efforts to expand the similar co-operation in areas of livestock, dairy industry, irrigation and restoration of salinity affected agricultural land.
The Prime Minister apprised the Australian Foreign Minister of his government's 3-D's strategy in its struggle against militancy, the measures undertaken by his government to isolate the militants from the peace loving tribesmen and the present state of situation in Pakistan's border areas with Afghanistan.
He also informed the Australian Foreign Minister of the actions taken by Pakistan's side after having received the dossier on Mumbai incident from India. He re-affirmed his government's determination that Pakistan's will not allow its soil to be used against any other country.
The Australian Foreign Minister while conveying his gratitude for the warm welcome accorded to him during his visit - the first by an Australian Foreign Minister since 1998 - said that though both countries had long standing friendly ties, a lot more can be done to improve them by paying particular attention to the co-operation in trade, economic, human development and social sector fields. Stephen Smith underlined his country's strong support for democracy in Pakistan. He stated that Australian had played its role and had welcomed Pakistan's back in the Commonwealth's fold after installation of the democratic government in Islamabad.
He assured the Prime Minister that Australia would stand shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan and will help it in any way possible to eradicate the menace of terrorism. The Australian Foreign Minister announced that his government would substantially increase its development assistance for Pakistan particularly in the areas of education, mother and child care programs, agriculture and humanitarian fields. He agreed with the Prime Minister on the need for more high level exchanges and increased people to people contacts between the two countries.-PR