Pakistan and Bosnia have agreed to transform the existing goodwill between the peoples of two countries into a robust cooperation in different fields including defence and commerce.
The decision was reached during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Bosnian President Bakir Izetbegovic in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Addressing a joint news conference, Zardari said, “Today’s agreements in the spheres of defence and commerce are a forward movement to realize the objective of increased cooperation in diverse fields. Both the countries are negotiating a preferential trade agreement and have expressed confidence that this will be finalised soon. The second round of talks on the preferential trade agreement will be held this month.”
Describing his talks with the Bosnian counterpart as productive and fruitful, Zardari said both the sides had also agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of education. Both the sides discussed global issues including extremism, terrorism and narcotics control. He said both the sides agreed to continue cooperation at international forums on issues of mutual interests.
The president reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Bosnia. Izetbegovic expressed gratitude to Pakistan for supporting the Bosnian people in difficult times. Referring to the visit of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1994, he said the Pakistani prime minister helped attract world attention towards the plight of Bosnian people.
The Bosnian president said strong emotions between the two countries would be translated into a mutually beneficial cooperation. He said Bosnia was a small country but it provided a door to the lucrative European market.
He pointed out that there were great opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the areas of energy, military production, steel, cotton and textiles. He said there was also an opportunity to explore student-exchange programmes. Izetbegovic appreciated Pakistan as a strong nation that confronted all challenges valiantly, including its role in the war against terrorism. Responding to a question, Zardari said Pakistan could have hubs in Bosnia to access the big European market. He said it would be a win-win situation for both the countries. To a question, the Bosnian president expressed his country’s strong desire for increased defence cooperation with Pakistan.
