ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: Pakistan and Italy signed on Friday a Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) under which the two countries committed to increase bilateral cooperation particularly in the fields of defence and security.

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who is visiting Italy, and her Italian counterpart Giulio Terzi di Sant’ Agata signed the agreement in Rome.

Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan told Dawn the SEP represented an important landmark in Pakistan-Italy relations. It would help chart the future course of bilateral cooperation in a structured manner, he noted.

Under the SEP, the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation in political, security, defence, development, economic, scientific, cultural, energy, migration and educational fields.

The agreement provides for greater interaction between defence forces of the two countries and increased inter-parliamentary interaction.

“It would serve as an overarching framework for mutual cooperation across the entire spectrum of bilateral relations through regular institutionalised contacts,” Mr Khan said.

Foreign Ministers of Italy and Pakistan will meet once in three years to review the implementation of the SEP and the foreign secretaries annually to steer its implementation.

In view of the large Pakistani community living in Italy, the two sides agreed on consular and immigration issues.

According to Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, about 100,000 Pakistanis live in Italy. Pakistani diaspora is mostly concentrated in cities of Milan and Brescia.

Italy and Pakistan established diplomatic relations in 1948 and they share common positions on the UNSC reform.

Italy is Pakistan’s third largest trading partner in the EU. The intensification of relations at the inter-governmental level has been accompanied by a new impulse in the private sector with businesses developing new associations.