National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said Pakistan wished to reinforce its decades old friendship with Japan through enhanced people-to-people and parliamentary contacts.
He was speaking at a dinner hosted by Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Hiroshi Inomata to exchange views with the members of Pakistan-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group in the National Assembly.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who is also the president of Pakistan-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group, informed that this group had been reconstituted after the institution of present National Assembly in June, 2013 by appointing MNA Ayesha Raza Farooq as its convener.
He said that since then the group had carried out intensive activities. He expressed the hope that this occasion would help further to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Japan as well as encouraging legislators contacts between the two countries for exchange of views and experiences.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi and members of the Friendship Group also attended the event.
In his welcoming address, Hiroshi Inomata said Japan considered Pakistan as one of its close friends and desired to further strengthen bilateral relations. He said that Embassy of Japan in Pakistan would continue to play its role in improving the ties and cooperation between the two countries. He assured that Japanese Mission would extend full support in promoting interaction between parliamentarians of Japan and Pakistan.
Japan and Pakistan established the diplomatic relation in April 28, 1952. Since then, Japan and Pakistan have been enjoying cordial and friendly bilateral relations in a wide range of areas.