ISLAMABAD: Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while addressing a conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Tuesday, said that Pakistan was pursuing a policy of peaceful neighbourhood for the benefit of present and future generations.
Sartaj Aziz highlighted the importance of regional and international cooperation for the implementation of newly-set targets of SDGs. He proposed more investment, adoption of new technologies, capacity building and identification of barriers to achieve the targets of SDGs and Vision 2025 of Pakistan.
The Adviser said that the government is fully conscious of the imperative of peace and development for our people and the people of the region.
He said eradicating poverty in all its forms including extreme poverty is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
He further said many internal conflicts and crises in developing world could have been avoided if nations had truly invested in the lives of the people, and if the wealthiest nations on earth were better partners.
The adviser said Pakistan's policy to emphasise trade, rather than aid, as a more effective means of North South Cooperation is very timely.
In the backdrop of Brexit and US presidential elections, Sartaj Aziz said that after the formation of nationalist governments in the north, the north-south collaboration is in danger, therefore, there is a need to strengthen south-south collaboration for the promotion of peace and prosperity in the region, and CPEC is the right step in this direction.
He said South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was a big opportunity to see regional challenges, but its postponement was a great loss. Sustainable development of the country is hidden in trade promotion and not in financial assistance, he said, adding that Pakistan is on the path of peaceful co-existence for the betterment of coming generations.
