Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi met His Excellency Othman Ali Farhood Moshir Al-Ghanimi, Iraq’s Minister of Interior, in Baghdad.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister acknowledged the sacrifices made by Iraq in its succesful fight against terrorism. He highlighted the professional expertise and commitment of Pakistan's armed forces and law enforcement agencies in dealing effectively with the challenge of terrorism. He added that the two countries could benefit from cooperation in countering terrorism, in particular in sharing of expertise and intelligence and training and capacity building of their law enforcement agencies. The Interior Minister welcomed the suggestion.
Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored strong religious and cultural affinities between the peoples of the two countries. He added that these bonds also provided significant opportunities for deeper bilateral cooperation in diverse areas.
In this regard, the Foreign Minister emphasized the need to enhance people to people linkages, in particular by promoting religious tourism between the two countries. He added that facilitation of visas and improved services to Pakistani Zaireen could lead to enhanced bilateral trade, commerce and investment.
Agreeing with the Foreign Minister, the Interior Minister assured him of cooperation. He also highlighted the need to enhance cooperation between the two countries in countering narcotics and drug control.
The two Ministers agreed on the need to exchange delegations with a view to enhancing cooperation in security matters, counternarcotics and visa facilitation.
