MOSCOW: Premier Alexei Kosygin described the visit of President Ayub Khan, the first by a Pakistani head of State or Government, as “a momentous event in the history of Soviet-Pakistan relations”. Speaking at a dinner given by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet and the Soviet Government in honour of President Ayub at the Kremlin, Mr Kosygin expressed the hope that this “visit will contribute to the further strengthening of mutual understanding and good neighbourliness between our two countries”.

The President in reply reciprocated Mr Kosygin’s feeling by expressing his confidence “that relations between my country and the Soviet Union would develop and grow”. President Ayub said there was no difference between Pakistan and the Soviet Union on the most important issue before the world today, the preservation of peace. The President said: “We have welcomed the initiatives taken by the Soviet Government to reduce international tension, to promote disarmament and bring about a peaceful settlement of disputes”.

[Meanwhile, as reported by agencies from Berlin,] East Germany has warned the Western powers that if the West German Parliament (Bundestag) meets in West Berlin on April 7, it will “take all necessary measures to protect its security and defend its rights” the East German News Agency announced. A protest against the meeting delivered to the three Western powers through the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry in Prague, described the planned meeting as a “dangerous provocation” which, if it took place could lead to international complications.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2015

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