UNITED NATIONS, Sept 19 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Monday met his New Zealander counterpart John Key and discussed the ways to strengthen bilateral ties in multiple fields, including trade and investment.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly session in New York, a PM House statement said.
Both the leaders expressed satisfaction on the state of bilateral relations and exchanged views on matters of bilateral, regional and global concern.
The prime minister highlighted the potential for enhancement of bilateral trade and investment in the backdrop of improved security situation in the country, investor-friendly policies of the present government and immense potential for foreign investors in variety of fields.
He particularly highlighted investment potential in the fields of agriculture, dairy and livestock. Pakistan can benefit from New Zealand’s expertise in dairy farming and Halal meat export, the prime minister added.
He appreciated the Government of New Zealand for providing scholarships to Pakistani students in higher education and hoped that further extension in the number of existing scholarships being offered to Pakistan would continue.
He also discussed the possibility of opening a resident diplomatic mission of New Zealand in Islamabad at the earliest in order to further boost bilateral ties.
Nawaz Sharif expressed deep appreciation for New Zealand’s principled position on inclusion of new members in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
He highlighted Pakistan’s strong credentials in non-proliferation as well as nuclear safety and security making it an ideal candidate to be considered for NSG membership.
Both the leaders also discussed possibilities of supporting each other’s candidatures at multilateral forums.
APP/Zaheer/VNS, Islamabad
