1 April 2004 - The Philippines and Pakistan agreed to further strengthen bilateral economic, political, and security ties during the 2nd Philippines-Pakistan Policy Consultations held today at the Westin Philippine Plaza in Manila.  The Policy Consultations are an annual forum for the discussion of overall relations between the Philippines and Pakistan.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Sonia C. Brady headed the Philippine delegation to the Consultations while Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary Riaz H. Khokhar led the delegation from Pakistan.

“Secretary Khokhar and I agreed on the need to rejuvenate the relations between our two countries and to encourage Pakistan’s closer engagement with ASEAN,” Undersecretary Brady said.

Pakistan, like the Philippines, is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and is an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference.  “We look forward to supporting each
other in these two international organizations where vital global and regional issues are tackled,” the Undersecretary added.

During the consultations, both delegations also reviewed ways to enhance trade, which remains low despite the burgeoning markets of the Philippines and Pakistan.  “There is a lot of potential in the area of trade and we are looking at exporting certain products, such as halal food, edible oils, and motor vehicle parts, that have a good potential in Pakistan,” said Undersecretary Brady.

Another area for collaboration identified was information exchange in the area of transnational crime and counter-terrorism.  “South Asia and Southeast Asia must coordinate our counter-terrorism efforts because of the transnational networks of terrorists that straddle our two regions,” she added.

Also discussed in the talks were a proposed extradition treaty, an agreement on cultural cooperation, and education matters.

The bilateral consultations were first established in 1997 under the Agreement on the Arrangements for the Establishments of Policy Consultation Talks between the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. The first meeting was held in  Islamabad, Pakistan on 26-27 June 2001.   END