Egyptian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan

Islamabad, Dec 13 (UNI) Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit will arrive here tomorrow to co-chair the second Session of istan-Egypt Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

During his two-day visit, Mr Gheit will hold consultations with Mr Kasuri on wide ranging bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual concern, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said here ahead of the visit.

He will also call on Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf to convey a message by Eygiptian President Hosni Mubarak. This will be Mr Gheit's first visit to the country since he assumed office in 2004 as Foreign Minister.

The second JMC meet will review bilateral economic relations and explore new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Four agreements, including setting up a Joint Business Council, launch a Cultural Exchange Programme for 2006-2010, and to forge a Cooperation Agreement between the Foreign Service Academies of the two countries will also be signed during the visit.

Pakistan considers Egypt a valuable partner and has a keen interest in intensifying bilateral collaboration in diverse areas, including economic and investment sectors, Ms Aslam said.

Whereas the JMC provides a broad framework of economic and commercial interactions, the two countries maintain the political cooperation through a consultative mechanism between the two Foreign Ministries, she added.

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