PM Abbasi welcomes Chinese president’s remarks of calling Pakistan ‘pillar of peace’

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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday said that Pakistan welcomes Chinese President Xi’s remarks of terming Pakistan a pillar of regional peace and stability.

This he said in a meeting with Central Military Commission of China Vice Chairman General Zhang Youxia, who called on PM Abbasi along with his delegation at Prime Minister’s Office, Islamabad.

Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs Khurrum Dastgir Khan and senior officers were also present during the meeting.

Welcoming the vice chairman to Pakistan, as his first foreign destination, PM Abbasi expressed hope that his visit would further strengthen the existing strategic relations and multifaceted cooperation between Pakistan and China. The prime minister also conveyed his greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and extended the invitation to the Chinese leadership to visit Pakistan.

The prime minister said observed that Chinese president’s leadership and his vision was a source of inspiration. President Xi’s Belt & Road initiative of development and connectivity would change the destiny of the region, continued PM Abbasi.

PM Abbasi also expressed satisfaction over the thriving Pak-China relations in all fields and expressed the hope that the multifaceted strategic cooperation including the security and defence ties of the time-tested friends would further strengthen for the shared objective of peace and development in the region.

The prime minister reiterated firm commitment of the government for early implementation of all CPEC related projects, which he said would serve as a game changer for the region and would help to realise the trade and economic potential existing between the two countries.

The regional situation and Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability in the region also came under discussion.

General Zhang Youxia appreciated the huge sacrifices that Pakistan has made in the war against terrorism and for the peace in the region. He observed that the immense sacrifices made by the people of Pakistan and its armed forces deserve to be fully recognised by the international community.

Expressing satisfaction over the existing level of defence cooperation and military relations of the two countries, General Zhang Youxia expressed the hope that various international fora including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) would help further in cementing these ties and security cooperation between the two countries.