Updated on
Summary
Pakistan on Thursday called for early finalisation of a transit trade agreement with landlocked neighbour Afghanistan, hoping for a major increase in bilateral trade. The early finalisation of Afghan Transit Trade Agreement is in our mutual interest, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a joint press conference with Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rasoul. Qureshi said that there could be a significant boost to bilateral trade between the neighbours during the next five years. Currently the bilateral trade is around 1.5 billion dollars, and with this new arrangement in place we can easily enhance our bilateral trade to five billion dollars by 2015, Qureshi said. The relevant ministers will be meeting in Pakistan shortly, he added. Qureshi said that the both sides agreed during talks to increase high-level interaction and set up joint commissions on matters including education. Pakistan also offered Afghanistan training for its soldiers, police and diplomats and proposed to set up a commission on border security, he added. Rasoul said he briefed Qureshi about the security situation and peace efforts in Afghanistan. It is in the interest of both the countries to commit each other together for the fight against terrorism and extremism and my brother agreed to the concept, he said. Rasoul also said he was pleased that Pakistan was supporting the peace process. Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have been marked by distrust, but there have been growing signs of rapprochement and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in March welcomed an offer from Pakistan to help with peace efforts.
