ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday said Italy was on “same page” with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and was ready for close cooperation in counter-terrorism.
In a joint press conference with Advisor to Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz here at the Foreign Office, following their meeting, the Italian foreign minister said Italy and Pakistan had a defence agreement in place since 2009 and were exchanging expertise and sharing information in fighting terrorism.
The Italian foreign minister expressed condolences on behalf of the Italian government over the incidents of terrorism that took place in Pakistan over the years.
He said stabilization of Afghanistan was in the strategic interest of Pakistan and added that Italy had a strong commitment to eliminate terrorism after 9/11.
Paolo Gentiloni said one of the key element in stabilizing Afghanistan, was the political and diplomatic solution.
He said the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) could pave the way for political solution to the Afghan issue and stressed that the exercise required strong commitment by all member countries.
He said the success of Daesh in Iraq and Syria should not give new ways to its establishment in Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere.
Italian foreign minister termed his meeting with Sartaj Aziz as “very useful” and mentioned that bilateral relations were making satisfactory strides.
He said the one billion euro bilateral trade reflected that Italy was one of the ten main economic partners of Pakistan and emphasized on strengthening it further.
He said the discussion also focused on the potentiality of giving value to the resources of agricultural food chain and sharing know-how in machinery, dedicated to agriculture and textile sectors.
