ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan and Oman on Monday agreed to further enhance their bilateral cooperation for promotion of regional peace and stability.
In a joint Press Conference along with the visiting Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah following the delegation level talks in Islamabad on Monday, the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that Oman has been playing an important stabilizing role in regional and international affairs.
The adviser said that both the Countries share perceptions on a number of important matters of mutual interest and issues related to promotion of regional peace and stability.
“We have agreed that there should be more regular political dialogue on such issues to promote these understandings even further,” he said.
Sartaj Aziz said that the Omani foreign minister’s visit to Pakistan is indicative of the closeness and depth in our bilateral relationship.
“We really appreciate the great vision and sagacious leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and for the importance he has always attached to Oman’s relations with Pakistan,” Sartaj Aziz said.
The foreign affairs adviser said that Pakistan also attaches great importance to its relations with Oman. “We take great pride in Oman’s success and development in recent years.”
Talking about their talks, the adviser told media that we reviewed the progress we have made in our relations since last year. He said that we discussed ideas to enhance existing cooperation between Pakistan and Oman in all areas including culture, trade, commerce, investments, people to people contacts and regional connectivity.
Sartaj Aziz said that we also reviewed the pace of work on early completion of a number of important Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements under consideration on both sides.
The adviser said that as both Pakistan and Oman enjoy unique geo-economic locations, we discussed the ways and means to join hands and become a bridge for the Countries and regions surrounding us to promote greater regional connectivity and economic momentum for the ultimate objective of achieving stability, development and prosperity of our peoples.
Furthermore, the adviser said that Pakistan and Oman have also been traditional partners supporting each other on various international fora and lobby for each other’s candidatures in various international bodies. He said that Oman is Pakistan’s closest maritime neighbours, just 202 nautical miles away, sharing intimate bonds of affinity with our region, particularly in Gwadar and Balochistan.
“We have excellent opportunities to take advantage of the complementarities between our economies and the proximity that we enjoy,” he said adding that these commonalities are a great omen for forging a deeper political and economic partnership.
Sartaj Aziz said that during the meeting, they also discussed closer linkages between our maritime interfaces, airports and seaports by availing the new opportunities offered by China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Gwadar port project.
It was agreed that the concerned authorities should have more regular interactions to suggest the best ways forward in making use of these opportunities, the adviser said.
Likewise, both sides discussed matters related to enhancement of bilateral trade as well as enhancement of investment by private Omani companies and the necessary facilitation required by them in this regard, Sartaj Aziz said.
Sartaj Aziz said that regular exchange of high level visits between Pakistan and Oman has strengthened our friendship. He said that the visit of the Chairman State Council (Upper House) Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri to Pakistan in January 2017 has further strengthened the bilateral relationship with the establishment of a closer linkage between our two Parliaments.
“We look forward for more frequent exchanges between our Parliamentarians in future,” he added.
The adviser further said that Oman holds special significance for Pakistan in view of its geographical proximity and hosting of over 0.25 million Pakistani Diaspora. He said that as such Oman is the third largest destination Country for Pakistani workers which themselves are the third largest expatriate community in Oman.
“We hope that in future these bonds will strengthen further,” Sartaj Aziz concluded.
