President Mamnoon Hussain has said that Pakistan has achieved significant successes in war against terrorism and African countries can benefit from Pakistan’s experiences in addressing the menace of terrorism.
President Mamnoon Hussain said this during a luncheon in honor of Ambassadors/High Commissioners of African countries at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad on Wednesday. Ambassadors/ High Commissioners of South Africa, Tunis, Kenya, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Nigeria, Mauritius and Libya were present on the occasion. The President congratulated Ambassadors/ High Commissioners on the 54th anniversary of formation of the African Union (AU). On the occasion, Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and other senior officials were also present.
The President stated that Pakistan has rendered immense sacrifices in fight against terrorism and now by the Grace of Allah Almighty Pakistan has overcome this menace to a great extent. He further said that African countries can benefit from Pakistan’s experiences in this regard. He also offered training for African officers in different fields including defense and foreign affairs.
The President emphasized that Africa has a special place in Pakistan’s foreign policy adding that Pakistan has adopted ‘Look Africa Policy’ to further strengthen relations with African countries. The basic objective of this policy is to further expand cooperation in political, educational, cultural and economic fields so that the trade volume between Pakistan and African countries can be further increased. The President said that projects of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and One Belt One Road are not only beneficial for this region but they also have a great significance in connecting different parts of the world. Therefore, African countries must prepare themselves to benefit from them. He also stated that Pakistan’s importance in the region has increased manifold after the start of CPEC and Pakistan’s future is bright. He further said that Economic Corridor and One Belt, One Road Project is the greatest initiative of this century under which different regions can change the fate of their people by coming closer to each other. The President also said that Pakistan and African countries have several commonalities in political, economic, investment and tourism sectors adding that maximum benefits can be gained by enhancing bilateral cooperation in these areas.
On the occasion, Mr. Mpendulo Jele, High Commissioner of South Africa (Dean for Africa) said that Pakistan has successfully faced the scourge of terrorism which is commendable. The Ambassador of Nigeria expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s cooperation in addressing the menace of terrorism in Nigeria.
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