Following is the text of the Joint Statement
by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Asif Ali Zardari issued in London on 13 May 2009:
Joint Statement by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and
President Asif Zardari on Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Pakistan and the UK are bound together by a
longstanding strategic partnership based on shared history, values and the close
ties between our two nations. It is partnership of sovereign states and of
equals, strengthened by a community of almost one million British citizens of
Pakistani heritage, their personal and family ties to Pakistan and their major contribution to the
development of the United
Kingdom. 1.4 million people fly every year between our two countries; and trade
between Pakistan and the UK
amounted to over £ 1 billion last year.
Our two countries already enjoy close cooperation in many
areas. President Zardari and Prime Minister Gordon Brown today agreed to
broaden this partnership by establishing a strategic dialogue in a structured
manner to promote mutual prosperity and stability.
They agreed that the strategic dialogue will be actively
driven forward by the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Prime
Minister of the UK.
They will meet annually to assess bilateral relations and to determine our
shared priorities and objectives. Foreign Ministers will meet biannually to
review progress and provide direction to the joint UK-Pakistan work programme
that we are announcing today. Ministers and senior officials with
responsibility for Economic Affairs, Interior and Defence will meet regularly
to take forward key elements.
They agreed our strategic dialogue will address a number
of areas and priorities. We will focus mutual efforts to overcome threats from
militancy, terrorism and extremism, to bring stability and to reduce poverty.
We recognize that these threats can only be overcome in the long term by
improving prospects for sustainable economic development, education and
opportunities for young people. We are committed to a long term partnership on
these issues.
The UK
will help Pakistan
to obtain support from the international community. The UK supported the Pakistani Government in
establishing the Friends of Democratic Pakistan group, and will work with Pakistan
to ensure that this strategic dialogue contributes to and enhance the work of
the Friends.
Pakistan and the UK will ensure that this strategic
dialogue is developed in a way which contributes to comprehensively upgrading
bilateral relations on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect. The UK will continue to support efforts of the
Government of Pakistan to safeguard the sovereignty, political independence,
unity and territorial integrity of Pakistan. Pakistan and the UK reiterate their respective
commitments to the principles of non-intervention and non-interference in
internal affairs.
The President of Pakistan expressed and re-emphasized the
commitment of the Government and the people of Pakistan to defeat terrorism and
violent extremism. The Prime Minister of the UK
expressed his faith in Pakistan's
ability to meet the challenges it faces. We will work together to help create
the long-term conditions for greater security and prosperity in Pakistan.
The UK recognizes the
significant achievement of the Pakistani Government in stabilizing the economy
and keeping Pakistan's IMF
programme on track, and the international community demonstrated its support
for Pakistan's economy at
the donors' conference in Tokyo
on 17 April. We are committed to ensuring that this support is delivered
on time and in ways that best support Pakistan's priorities for
development.
Together we agreed that sustainable development and
poverty reduction in Pakistan
are key priorities. With this in mind, the UK Prime Minister has
announced a commitment of £ 665 million of development aid to Pakistan
over the next four years. Within this total, the UK will provide nearly £200m specifically
to support education, over £ 130m to help improve healthcare, and £
120m of support direct to Pakistan's
budget, which will support macroeconomic stability, the implementation of the
IMF programme and social protection for poor people.
Under the terms of the UK's 10 year Development
Partnership Arrangement with Pakistan, signed in 2006, regular reviews are held
to monitor progress on our two countries' existing joint commitments, including
support for programmes to reduce poverty, respect for human rights, human
resource development, women's empowerment and good governance.
The UK
will press for an enhanced relationship between the European Union and Pakistan, including a significantly enhanced
trade relationship through greater market access for Pakistan in the EU markets.
President Zardari looked forward to the holding of the EU-Pakistan Summit in
June.
Ensuring all children have the opportunity to receive
free, quality education is a priority for the Pakistani Government.
Together we will look at how we can increase our cooperation in this field
through closer links between education departments in both the UK and Pakistan.
Over the next year, the UK
and Pakistan
expect to agree £ 190 million to help the Pakistani government provide
better schooling and more opportunities for technical and vocational training
to help young people find employment. In technical and vocational
training, the two countries are working together to implement the Pakistan government's
National Skills and provide better training for half a million young
Pakistanis.
Winning the battle of ideas against violent extremists and
those who support them is crucially important to both our countries. The UK is
committed to supporting the Pakistani government in developing a comprehensive
approach for tackling extremism. Together we will share experience of
developing the mechanisms needed to counter extremism. We will work to
counter violent extremism through addressing grievances and causes which lead
to radicalization, especially among young people. And we will
empower the media, civil society and ordinary people to take a stand against
extremism.
Pakistan and the UK are committed to working for lasting peace in
Afghanistan,
including by promoting national reconciliation and development. Militancy,
terrorism and extremism have affected the region. We will work with others to
stop the illegal supply of weapons to militants and non-state actors, to
interdict their funding, and eliminate the drugs trade and poppy cultivation in
Afghanistan.
The UK
strongly supports Pakistan
in building its capacity to counter the challenges posed by the violent
extremists. It is also important to seek indigenous solutions that enjoy the support
of the local people and are culturally sensitive. The UK strongly supports Pakistan's commitment to a
comprehensive strategy to promote stability in the broader region. The UK
Foreign Secretary's Special Representative for Afghanistan
and Pakistan will visit Pakistan
on a regular basis and engage in high-level dialogue with the Pakistani
Government.
The Prime Minister of the UK
recognized the difficulties which Pakistan faces in mitigating the
problems of the people who have been displaced as a result of the military
operation against extremist elements. The UK
is assisting Pakistan
in meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of these Internally Displaced
Persons.
Terrorism and violent extremism pose a serious threat in
both our countries. Together, we possess an unwavering determination to
defeat that threat. The UK
salutes the efforts and sacrifices made by Pakistan and its armed forces. We
will intensify further our joint work in this area through the bilateral Joint
working Group on Counter Terrorism, Counter-Narcotics, and Organized Crime
(JWG). The JWG, led by the Interior Ministries and comprising senior officials
drawn from a range of departments and agencies across both governments, will
meet six-monthly to strengthen co-operation in these areas and deliver
practical and concrete outcomes. How the Group's work is taken forward will be
decided through mutual consultations.
As part of the broader international community, the UK strongly supports Pakistan's commitment to develop
its comprehensive strategy to promote stability in the areas on
Pakistan-Afghanistan border. It was agreed that British and Pakistani officials
will discuss how to assist Pakistan
in the implementation of that strategy and how, building on our existing
cooperation, the UK
can best support the development of Pakistani security forces
counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capabilities.
Both Pakistan
and the UK are committed to
deepening stability in the wider region, including by strengthening relations
between Pakistan
and its neighbours. In particular, both Pakistan
and the UK recognize the
vital importance of Pakistan
and India
normalizing their relations.
Pakistan and the UK noted that a mechanism to
discuss non-proliferation and arms control issues has existed since 2004, and
renewed their commitment to strengthening their co-operation for enhancing
global and regional stability.
Islamabad
14 May 2009
To know more about the UK visit of President Asif Ali
Zardari on 13-14 May 2009, please log on to the following sites:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London
10 Downing Street
