Addressing a weekly briefing, last of 2010, here at Foreign Office on Thursday, Abdul Basit said," The year 2010 has been a very busy year for Foreign Office. We have been able to inject more vigour and substance into our efforts towards pursuing our broad foreign policy objectives of peace and development."

The spokesman said that Pakistan's foreign policy continued to be driven by its national interests and guided by the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

He said the year 2010 was ending on a high note as the visit to Pakistan by the Chinese Premier this month reaffirmed the all-weather friendship between the two countries.

"The visit amply demonstrated that relations between the two countries have been evolved from bilateral to regional and global planes," he added.

The spokesman said, "We are proud of this unique relationship and confident that our ties with China will continue to achieve ever new heights in the times to come."

"We have also been able to sustain the momentum in expanding our ties with the United States (US) on the basis of mutual respect, trust and interest. The third round of the Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue held in Washington in October helped push the process forward," he added.

The spokesman said, "We are looking forward to an official visit by our President Asif Ali Zardari to the United States in the first half of next year and President Barack Obama's visit to Pakistan in the second half of 2011."

He said, "Our relations with the European Union have also moved forward with the second Pakistan-EU Summit in Brussels in June which from our side was led by the Prime Minister."

The European Union, he said, following the unprecedented floods in Pakistan, approved trade concessions to provide greater market access to 74 tariff lines and the matter now rested with the World Trade Organization.

The spokesman said that the European Union (EU) also hosted the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) in Brussels on October 15.

He said that the Brussels meeting, among other things, endorsed the Integrated Energy Task Force Report and Plan as well as approved the establishment of an FoDP Task Force on Water Management.

The spokesman said that the bilateral relations with EU and NATO countries also expanded and deepened with high-level meetings and visits.

He said at the initiative of the Foreign Minister, the Pakistan-UK Foundation was launched in London on October 16.

He said "We are looking forward to giving a warm welcome to the French President and the British Prime Minister in Pakistan next year."

He said the Foreign Minister of Germany was scheduled to visit Pakistan next week.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2010