No nation can progress in isolation: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said that in the globalised world no nation can progress in isolation and the formation of partnerships based on mutuality of interests is a sine qua non to fast-paced development. Pakistan, he maintained, is blessed with unique geographical location, huge reservoirs of natural resources, distinct civilisation, cultural diversity and skilled manpower and these aspects need to be highlighted abroad.
The Prime Minister expressed these views while talking to a group of Ambassadors-designate who called on him at the Prime Minister House. The Prime Minister said that economic diplomacy is the essential component of his government's foreign policy. He asked the Ambassadors-designate to focus their attention on exploring markets for Pakistani exports and fetching investment.
Cementing the relations through mutually beneficial economic partnerships, he said, is the economic policy of his government. He further said that Pakistan suffers from an image problem created by the vested interests and there is a dire need to correct the misperception about the country. While referring to Pakistan's very cordial relations with Bosnia Herzegovina and Mexico, the Prime Minister underlined the need for adding substance to the relationships with these two countries through focusing on trade and economic ties and enhanced interaction between private sectors.
He urged the Ambassador Designate to Bosnia Herzegovina to work for re-activation of trade and investment agreement between the two countries. In case of Mexico, the Prime Minister urged the Ambassador Designate to undertake efforts for exploitation of opportunities offered by Mexico through lifting of ban on import of Pakistan's basmati rice.
The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over Pakistan's strong ties with Iran, Turkey and Australia and hoped that the new envoys designate would devote every possible effort and come up with new initiatives for further solidifying these relations in multi-faceted fields.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan has rendered immense sacrifices in both man and material in war on terror. He said that thirty six thousand people including personnel of the security forces lost their lives in the fight against terror besides economic loss of $68 billion in a span of ten years. He said that Pakistan has the makings of a successful polity capable of playing its due role in the global arena.