Bandar Seri Begawan - Newly appointed Pakistan High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam U Gen (Rtd) Sallah Ud Din Satti has said that his country was willing to increase trade and defence ties with the Sultanate.

"We want to expand the volume and scope of bilateral trade with Brunei Darussalam as the two countries are already enjoying very warm and friendly relations," the High Commissioner said in an interview with The Brunei Times.

He said the two countries were studying the possibility of a free trade pact and that a meeting of the Pakistan and Brunei Joint Economic Commission was going to be held in Islamabad soon. Pakistan is also negotiating with Brunei to start direct flights between the two countries.

Lt Gen (Rtd) Salah Ud Din Satti, who has served as Chief of the General Staff in Pakistan Army, presented his credentials to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on November 7.

He said Pakistan was one of the first cantles from Asia to recognize Brunei immediately after its independence in 1984. "We established our diplomatic mission very early and our relations have been growing from strength to strength since then," he said.

The two countries have always supported each other on different international forums as both countries are members of the Commonwealth and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). Pakistan is also a sectoral dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Mean) of which Brunei is a member.

He acknowledged that Brunei had always supported Pakistan in its efforts to join the grouping as full dialogue partner. "I feel very comfortable while serving in Brunei as you can see genuine goodwill here for the people and government of Pakistan," he said.

Pakistan, he said, had skilled human resources and trained labour which could contribute in diversifying Brunei's economy in line with His Majesty's vision.

"Already a number of Pakistani medical professionals are serving in various Brunei hospitals and health facilities," he said.

He said Pakistan and Brunei are already cooperating in the areas of defence and technology, but there is a need to further broaden this cooperation. Pakistan's Ordinance Factory (POF). The country's premier defence industrial establishment had also participated in Brunei International Defence Exhibition (Bridex 2009).

High-level defence officials have been visiting Brunei in recent past and senior officers firm Royal Brunei Armed Forces have also been attending war courses in Pakistan.

He stressed the need for increasing people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

'The people of Pakistan have great regard for Brunei and its people. So I will urge Bruneians to visit Pakistan and witness the close cultural and religious similarities," he said.

Talking about the Pakistan army's fight against terrorism, the High Commissioner said Pakistan was a moderate and tolerant country and could not allow rebels to impose their point of view on others. The war on tenor is a great challenge for the world. We as a nation have accepted this challenge and we are making tremendous sacrifices in this war."

"Our soldiers, policemen and ordinary people are sacrificing their lives to make this world a better place. We just wart that the world should understand our effort," he said, aiding that with success in the war against terror, Pakistan would become a modem and developed Islamic state.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment