President Karzai's Remarks to Media After meeting with Pakistan PM

Office of the Spokesperson to the President of Afghanistan

President Karzai shakes hands with Prime Minister Sharif during an official State Visit to Pakistan on Monday, August 26, 2013.

Bismillah Rahman Rahim,

My dear brother, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, the honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan, this has been very kind of you to extend me an invitation to visit the brotherly country of Pakistan soon upon your election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan and it was my delight Mr. Prime Minister to accept your invitation to visit a brother and a leader of the people of Pakistan on whom great hopes are pinned, expectations are there for providing Pakistan the security and the prosperity that the people of Pakistan need and of making sure that Afghanistan is also peaceful and prosperous and on advancing a cause of brotherhood and friendship between the two countries ever deeper through working together with the Afghan people in fighting against terrorism and extremism.

So, Mr. Prime Minister! I once again express my gratitude for your invitation and for your words of goodwill and your efforts in this regard.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Today, the honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan and I discussed all issues of mutual concern. On my part, I expressed on behalf of the afghan people the desire of the afghan people for stability and peace in both our countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We discussed in this regard primarily and with emphasis the issue of joint fight against extremism and reconciliation and peace building in Afghanistan with the expectation that the government of Pakistan will facilitate and help in manners it can to the peace process in Afghanistan and in providing opportunities or a platform for talks between the Afghan High Peace Council and the Taliban movement. We hope that with this, on top of our agenda, we can move forward in bringing peace and stability to both countries. We also discussed in detail the economic opportunities between our two countries and I was glad to see that the honorable PM spoke about it and also referred to some projects that we jointly like to work.

Indeed, the two countries have immense opportunities in advancing better economic cooperation between the two countries, so our future generations can unleash the energy that they have for a better life and a better future for both countries.

I also informed the honorable Prime Minister of Afghanistan’s regional and international relations and that Afghanistan’s relations with the countries of the world and in this region will only be beneficial to the expansion of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan and that Pakistan as a friend and as a neighbor can expect good from Afghanistan just as Afghanistan expects from Pakistan good towards Afghanistan. Afghanistan has also expressed willingness to engage with Pakistan in areas of culture and all other manners of cooperation, but for the two countries, the primary concern is lack of security for its citizens and the continued menace of terrorism attacking both our populations, our governments, our soldiers and our security forces. It is this area that needs to have primary and focused attention by both governments and it is with hope on this that I have come to Pakistan Mr. Prime Minister to meet with you and to advance the course of action together, so we can not only have peace in Afghanistan and in Pakistan but also by having a common campaign against extremism we make sure that the two countries are safer and prosperous towards a secure future.

Mr. Prime Minister! I thank you once again for your good intentions, for your leadership and for providing the opportunity today for the two of us to discuss in the good interest of both countries.

Thank you Mr. Prime Minister!