ISLAMABAD, July 9: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will leave for a five-day visit to Germany and Italy on Sunday. A delegation of businessmen will accompany him.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that the prime minister would hold talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Germany on enhancing bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation. Regional and global issues of mutual interest, including Kashmir, Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan, would also come under discussion, it said.

The prime minister’s programme includes a roundtable conference with top German businessmen and meetings with representatives of industrial giants such as Daimler Chrysler, Metro and Siemens. He will also address the leading bankers of Germany.

The prime minister will speak on ‘Pakistan’s role in the promotion of regional stability and development’ at the Bertelsmann Foundation.

The Foreign Office said that during his visit to Italy, Prime Minister Aziz would hold discussions with his counterpart Silvio Berlusconi, president of the Italian senate and the Chamber of Deputies and other political and business leaders. Bilateral relations and a range of other issues, including the fight against terrorism, Pakistan-India dialogue, reconstruction in Afghanistan, the situation in Iraq and expansion of the United Nations Security Council would be discussed during the meetings, it said. He will also address Italian bankers and businessmen.

Some agreements were likely to be signed during the visit, said the Foreign Office.

Mr Aziz is expected to speak at the Italian Centre of Diplomatic Studies in Rome.

He will also meet members of the Pakistani community in Germany and Italy.