Pakistan, Australia ink MoU on long-term partnership

Pakistan and Australia on Friday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at paving way for a "sustained and continued partnership" to boost political ties and enhance development in all spheres. The MoU was signed on the sidelines of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, flanked by her Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd, told APP that the Memorandum on 'Partnership for Development' would go a long way in building a strong long-term relationship to bring the two countries closer and help Pakistan fight poverty.
Hina, who is part of Prime Minister Gilani's delegation to attend the CHOGM, said the two countries looked forward to a sustained partnership. She said the agreement would help the two countries work together on development projects under a sustained mechanism, spanning over a period of four years. She said that Australia recognised Pakistan's role in peace and stability of the region and the two countries would go forward towards expanding their bilateral ties into an economic relationship.
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who earlier served for a term as Australia's Prime Minister, told APP that the two countries have a long-term relationship spread over many years, and recalled the active training of the personnel of Pakistan's military. He said that there was a need to do more and to address common security challenges.
He said the objective of the agreement was to put Pakistan-Australia bilateral relations onto a solid footing and to extend these into areas that bring about a material difference in the lives of the people of Pakistan. He said that school education in Pakistan was a priority for Australia and added that it was working in Balochistan to provide better education facilities to people.
He said that 10,000 midwives have been trained by Australia in the area of primary healthcare. Australia has stood by people of Pakistan, he said, and recalled its assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake and the floods. He, however, pointed out that the real challenge was in taking the people of Pakistan out of poverty.
Kevin said Australia was one of Pakistan's largest external development partners and wished to continue with the same way in future for the betterment of its people. The trade volume of merchandise goods between Pakistan and Australia surged to $700 million. Both countries have enjoyed friendly ties and their engagement has grown very significantly in recent years, particularly in the fields of development co-operation, defence training links, education and collaboration in tackling transnational crime.