ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said ASEAN and Pakistan need to effectively implement the ASEAN-Pakistan Sectoral Dialogue Partnership on Practical Cooperation through various projects and activities to strengthen their partnership.
The statement was made by ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn when Pakistani Ambassador Ameer Khurram Rathore, now Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to ASEAN, presented his credentials.
Besides congratulating Ambassador Rathore on his inauguration, Secretary-General Kao also expressed excitement about the revitalization of the ASEAN-Pakistan partnership, according to a statement from the ASEAN Secretariat here on Thursday.
According to Kao, the holding of the 7th ASEAN-Pakistan Sectoral Cooperation Committee (AP-JSCC) Meeting in September last year was one of the moments that revived the partnership between the two sides.
Ambassador Rathore stated that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with ASEAN. Therefore, in the spirit of strengthening Pakistan’s cooperation with ASEAN, he expressed Pakistan’s determination to work closely with ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat.
Pakistan has been an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner since 1993 and has implemented a number of cooperative projects and activities with ASEAN.
Pakistan has also participated in the ASEAN Regional Forum since 2004. In July 2004, Pakistan acceded to the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).
The TAC was formed in 1976 to realize the universal principles of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation among countries in Southeast Asia.
According to the ASEAN Statistical Database, total two-way trade between ASEAN and Pakistan grew by 3.77 percent from US$10.22 billion in 2021 to US$10.61 billion in 2022.