Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SRI PERDANA, KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 06/07/95
Tajuk/Title : DINNER IN H0NOUR OF THE HONOURABLE
MOHTARMA BENAZIR
It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the Government
of Malaysia, to extend a hearty welcome to you, Madam
Prime Minister, and Mr. Zardari and members of your
delegation on this visit to Malaysia. We are
particularly honoured to receive you as the Head of
Government of a country with whom Malaysia has
traditionally had very warm and friendly relations. We
recall vividly your last visit to this country to
attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in
1989. Today we have the honour of hosting you once
again. I am confident that this visit will contribute
towards further enhancing the bonds of friendship and
cooperation between Malaysia and Pakistan.
2. We in Malaysia follow with great interest your
efforts to strengthen the democratic processes and
institutions in Pakistan as well as to bring about
better socio-economic conditions for your people. We
welcome the various measures that you have initiated to
stimulate economic growth, including the promotion of
foreign investments and participation in Pakistan.
These measures will, I am sure, not only speed up
economic development in Pakistan but also provide
opportunities for greater economic collaboration
between our two countries. I therefore look forward to
our discussion tomorrow on issues of common concern as
well as the possible areas of cooperation. Given the
present trend towards globalisation, countries must
constantly seek new partnerships and linkages to remain
competitive. With our commitment to enhance our
cooperation, I am confident that we could together
identify new opportunities where we could effectively
collaborate, making full use of the comparative
advantages available in both our countries.
3. In our efforts to enhance closer economic relations,
the role of the private sector is crucial. I am
delighted that, coinciding with your visit, a
delegation of important business leaders and private
sector representatives have come to Malaysia for a
business seminar designed to promote trade and
investment tie-ups with their Malaysian counterparts. I
welcome them to Malaysia and wish them success in their
discussion and possible ventures. With their resources,
talents and skills, I am sure that the partnership
between Malaysian and Pakistani private sectors can
make a great impact not only in Malaysia and Pakistan,
but also in some third countries. Immediately, I am
thinking of the Central Asian Republics with which both
our countries are keen to develop closer economic
relations. It is for this reason that Malaysia follows
with a keen interest Pakistan's efforts to open up
overland routes to these states.
4. While the economic imperatives should be given
greater emphasis in the relations between Malaysia and
Pakistan, the traditional factors that bind our two
countries should also be strengthened. In this regard,
efforts should be made to step up cooperation in such
fields as education, culture, sports, religion and
science and technology. Already many Malaysian students
have gone to Pakistan in search of higher education and
several Pakistanis have participated in Malaysia's
Technical Cooperation Programme. Malaysia is ready to
do more to facilitate these and other exchanges that
promote greater understanding and cooperation between
the two countries. Our common belief in Islam and
commitment to the betterment of the Islamic Ummah have
brought us together along the path of cooperation
within the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). We
are equally ready to intensify such cooperation.
5. We live in a world that is still full of surprises
and uncertainties. The euphoric predictions of a few
years ago that peace would descend upon the world with
the end of the Cold War have been proven wrong.
Conflict, strife and turmoil continue to engulf many
parts of the world. While there is a glimmer of hope
for the dawn of peace in some parts, the darkness of
war and oppression remains poised over other parts.
Such is the case in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a country whose
sovereignty and territorial integrity has been trampled
upon with impunity by the Serbs. Its cry for justice
has been cynically ignored by those who brag of their
commitment and concern for justice, democracy and human
rights. The champions of human rights are suddenly
blind to the worst case of human rights violations
since the end of World War II. The United Nations has
not only been ineffective in handling the Bosnian
conflict but has also been thoroughly humiliated by the
Serbs. It is a measure of our commitment to the Charter
of the United Nations and to the principles of
International Law that Malaysia and Pakistan have sent
troops to serve under UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
We have earlier also participated in peace-keeping in
Somalia where our troops forged excellent cooperation.
I am confident that our common concern for the
preservation of international peace, stability and rule
of law will see our two countries joining hands in
other international peace efforts in the future.
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