ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the Foreign Office to include promotion of the national development agenda in its goals and to expand its traditional role of a national security institution.

Presiding over a briefing on foreign policy issues here on Wednesday, the president called for institutional reforms for strengthening democracy and promoting development.

“Diplomacy is one of the most important instruments of state policy. Therefore, it must be geared not only for conflict prevention and resolution but also to advance our trade and development agenda,” he said.

He said that after the completion of democratic transition it was time for “institutional reform and renewal” so that the institutions could contribute to consolidation of democracy, promote development and good governance and play a role in countering terrorism.

President Zardari said revival of democracy had brought the country back to the global mainstream and given it a fresh identity. This had opened up numerous opportunities which needed to be seized, he said.

He urged the Foreign Office to work with strategic vision and professional commitment to cope with ‘myriad challenges’ confronting the country.

He stressed the importance of economic diplomacy to promote trade, commerce and foreign investments and raise Pakistan’s profile on key regional and international economic issues.

The president also asked the Foreign Office to improve its coordination with other state institutions and the quality of interface with the private sector. He called for enlisting support of the expatriate Pakistani community for promoting investment in the country.

He said regional envoys’ conferences should be convened for better coordination and coherence of efforts.

“The Foreign Office should act as a catalyst in forging win-win partnerships at home and abroad,” he said.

This was Mr Zardari’s first visit as president to the Foreign Office. He was accompanied by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and National Security Adviser Mahmood Ali Durrani. He was received by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Prime Minister Gilani said foreign policy must reflect aspirations and interests of the people.

He said it was time to raise Pakistan’s profile as a responsible and progressive member of the international community.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said Pakistan’s foreign policy was based on national security concerns and wellbeing of the people. Its primary objective was to safeguard the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; promote political, economic and trade relations with other countries; and project a positive image of the country in the international community.

Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir gave a detailed presentation on foreign policy issue and assured the president that the Foreign Office would work for the development agenda of the government in addition to its traditional role in national security.