Musharraf to visit, Poland, Spain and Bosnia

Islamabad, Apr 21: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will embark on a week-long three-nation official tour to Poland, Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina tomorrow to enhance trade relations with these countries.

This would be the first visit by a head of state from Pakistan to these countries.

Poland is the largest country among the 12 new European Union members and has maintained an impressive economic growth rate in recent years.

''Pakistan and Poland enjoy a cordial and cooperative relation and are keen to enhance collaboration in different areas,'' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said here today.

The President's engagements in Warsaw will include discussions with President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

He will also address business leaders to highlight excellent opportunities for trade and investment in Pakistan and interact with members of the civil society, consisting largely of intellectuals and think tanks.

During his visit to Spain, President Musharraf will meet King Juan Carlos I and Prime Minister Jose Louis Rodriguez Zapatero and address the Cortes (the Spanish Parliament).

Spain's 70,000 strong Pakistan community, is the 8th largest economy in the world.

In Bosia, the President's engagements include meetings with the chairman of the Bosnian Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic and Prime Minister Dr Nikola Spiric.

''The major focus of talks during these visits will be on strengthening of relations in all areas, particularly, expansion of cooperation in the commercial realm,'' Ms Aslam said, adding that international and regional issues of mutual interest including Pakistan-India relations, Afghanistan, Iraq, West Asia, and the fight against international terrorism would be figure in the talks.

Several bilateral agreements and MoUs covering mutually beneficial cooperation in fields of Defence, Air Services, Economic Cooperation, Culture, Education, Science and Technology, Banking sector and Development of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises will also be signed during the President's visit to the three countries.

UNI