19 November 2006
Tony Blair has praised the "tremendous co-operation" of Pakistan in the "global struggle" against Islamic extremism.
Read the transcript:
1. Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Pakistan on 19-20 November, 2006 for the third Pakistan-UK bilateral summit meeting in accordance with the UK-Pakistan Joint Statement of 6 December 2004.
2. President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks in Lahore on bilateral relations and international issues, ranging from the importance of further augmenting trade and education ties to the challenges of countering terrorism and extremism and addressing the underlying conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. The President and Prime Minister agreed that on these and many other issues the two governments would need to work increasingly closely together for many years to come.
3. Pakistan and the UK have a shared history and a common vision of partnership for global peace and prosperity in the 21st century. Their relationship is an enduring one based on mutual trust and respect and grounded in a strong and abiding partnership between the two peoples. The President and the Prime Minister underlined the deep ties between the two countries, strengthened by the approximately one million British citizens of Pakistani heritage in the UK.
4. The President and the Prime Minister re-stated their resolve to continue to work together to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. To this end, they welcomed the signing of a ‘Development Partnership Arrangement’, signifying a 10-year commitment by the UK Government to support the Government of Pakistan. The Prime Minister undertook to double the UK’s development assistance over the next 3 years from £236 million to £480 million. The Prime Minister announced the immediate release of £20 million to bolster the Government of Pakistan’s central budget expenditures towards reducing poverty.
5. The two leaders welcomed the signing of a cultural memorandum of understanding between the two countries, in November 2006, to build further on these ties.
6. The Prime Minister and President agreed that a strong educational system is essential to enhance Pakistan’s human development, its economic growth, and the prosperity of all its people. This will promote the climate for enlightened moderation to which the President and the Prime Minister both aspire, not just in Pakistan, but also globally. The President and Prime Minister also welcomed an increase in the number of UK-Pakistan University Partnerships from 15 to 50, which will enhance mutual understanding. They agreed to hold a joint higher education forum in Pakistan in early 2007 to discuss the education reform agenda and further collaborative work, including faculty exchanges and fellowships.
7. President Musharraf and Prime Minister Blair agreed to strengthen the regular dialogue between the two governments through establishing a Joint Working Group between the Interior Ministry of Pakistan and the Home Office in the UK to strengthen co-operation on counter narcotics, counter terrorism, illegal immigration and transnational organised crime. The first meeting of this Working Group will take place in Islamabad in January 2007.
8. The President and the Prime Minister reiterated their determination to counter terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations. The Prime Minister warmly thanked the President for Pakistan’s important role in helping to foil the Heathrow bomb plot in August 2006. The Prime Minister expressed thanks for the increasingly close cooperation of the relevant Pakistan authorities with judicial cases in the UK. The Prime Minister offered President Musharraf the United Kingdom’s full support in countering terrorism, including the exchanges on forensic training, investigating the financing of terrorism, and the sharing of crisis management expertise.
9. The President and Prime Minister reiterated their determination to support forces emphasising moderation over confrontation and extremism. The two leaders agreed to support civil society and youth interaction between Pakistan and the UK to develop a unified response to this end.
10. The Prime Minister announced that the UK would deliver two MI 17 helicopters to Pakistan’s Anti Narcotics Force in April 2007, for use in their anti-smuggling operations, particularly along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The President welcomed the co-operation between Pakistan and the UK on counter-narcotics, and expressed the hope that it would lead to more prosecutions of high value targets. The two leaders underlined the importance of regional co-operation in achieving lasting results.
11. Both leaders agreed to strengthen an already close and wide-ranging defence relationship, including through increased high-level visits and exchanges to Pakistan and the UK. Both sides welcomed the annual meetings of the Defence Co-operation Forum, and looked forward to expanding its remit.
12. They welcomed the outcomes of the second annual Pakistan-UK Strategic Dialogue on security and non-proliferation issues held in London on 31 October 2006.
13. The Prime Minister and the President expressed their determination to enhance further the trade ties between the two countries. Bilateral trade has increased by two thirds in the last three years. The President and the Prime Minister praised the ongoing work of the Pakistan-Britain Trade and Investment Forum, and Pakistan-Britain Business Advisory Group in promoting increasingly close trade ties. The Prime Minister welcomed the continued rapid growth of Pakistan’s economy, which remains one of the fastest growing in the world.
14. Both leaders agreed on the need for a fair international trading regime, emphasising early revival of the WTO Doha Development Agenda.
15. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of bringing stability and economic progress to Afghanistan. They recognised that security is crucial to Afghanistan’s progress, and pledged to work together, with the Government of Afghanistan and other international partners, to curb the violence through effective action against militant Taleban. The two Governments will contribute on a sustained basis to implementation of the Afghanistan Compact, including on economic reconstruction and counter-narcotics.
16. The Prime Minister paid tribute to the statesmanship of President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in seeking to resolve outstanding issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, between India and Pakistan. The Prime Minister noted the progress that had been made by both leaders since the establishment of the Composite Dialogue in January 2004, and welcomed the meeting of the two Foreign Secretaries, as part of that process, on November 14, 2006. The Prime Minister expressed his hope that the Joint Mechanism established in Havana on 16 September would yield concrete results.
17. Both the leaders underlined the need for resuming the Middle East peace process at the earliest opportunity and for a just and lasting settlement of the Palestine dispute.
18. The President and the Prime Minister agreed to hold the Fourth Pakistan-UK Summit Meeting in London in 2007 on a mutually convenient date.
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