HYDERABAD, Feb 18: Former foreign secretary Niaz A. Naik has said that with the emergence of globalization, the regional cooperation has become necessary for development not only in the field of economics but also culture through the people-to-people contact.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of a two-day international seminar on "Pakistan-Asean Relations: Constraints and Opportunities" organized by the Area Study Centre, Far East and South East Asia, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, on Wednesday.

Mr Naik said it was indeed a happy augury that this seminar was held on the same day when two important events were taking place in Islamabad and Tehran. He said a composite dialogue was held between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan in Islamabad while the fourth D-8 Summit conference was taking place at Tehran which would focus on economic cooperation among the member states.

Mr Naik said the regional cooperation had not only become necessary but it was gaining momentum with the each passing day. He referred to the economic integration of the European nations and said that even the African states had followed the suit of the Europe and formed the African Union.

He said Asean states needed integrated development to meet the challenges of globalization. As far as Pakistan is concerned, the former foreign secretary said it was standing at the threshold of a new beginning.

He said bilateral ties were transformed in a connective way when the Asean-Pakistan sectoral dialogue was initiated in Nov 1997. He said Pakistan highly valued the dialogue and the primary areas of cooperation were trade, industry, investment through joint ventures, environment and information technology.

He expressed the hope that the seminar would come out with specific recommendations to streamline the economic and other relations between the Asean states.

In his presidential address Sindh University vice-chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddiqui said one of the most distinctive trends of the 21st century was the momentum of regional cooperation which was beginning to connect all the regions of Asia and the Pacific.

He said for the promotion of a multi-level dialogue andcooperation, forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Asean Regional Forum, Asean Post-Ministerial Conference and South Asia Free Trade Area were emerging and expanding. He said countries and regions were moving from confrontation towards dialogues and cooperation.