ISLAMABAD, June 30: Hours after his induction into the cabinet again as foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri boarded a plane for Jakarta on Wednesday evening
to participate in the 11th ministerial meeting of the Asean Regional Forum where he will also sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation on Friday.
The treaty which governs ties among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) aims at enhancing political and security cooperation among members to promote regional peace and stability.
"Pakistan thus formally joins the regional process for promoting peace and security, stability and economic cooperation and work towards consensus building measures, preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution mechanism, foreign ministry spokesman said.
Mr Kasuri is leading a high-level delegation to the ARF Ministerial Meeting that will be attended by foreign ministers of 10 Asean member states and 14 other countries. The delegation includes Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar, additional secretary and foreign office spokesman Masood Khan.
Prior to his departure Mr Kasuri termed Pakistan's admission to the ARF as a significant development and a success of Pakistan's foreign policy. He underlined that it was recognition of the responsible and important role being played by Pakistan not only to the Islamic world but also in promoting regional and world peace.
"It also provides Pakistan with an opportunity to associate closely not only with South East Asian countries but major powers in a multilateral forum," the foreign minister pointed out.
The ARF is a powerful regional security grouping that includes the US, Russia, India, EU, Canada, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and Mongolia apart from the 10 Asean member states.
Issues such as counter-terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation and Korean Peninsula situation are likely to be taken up at the ARF meeting. Mr Kasuri is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of the ARF countries including India on the sidelines of the conference.
India had in the past blocked Pakistan's entry into the ARF but endorsed its application to join the ARF in May. India became a member of the ARF in 1996.
