Malaysian Foreign Minister calls on Kasuri
By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD—Syed Hamid Albar, Foreign Minister of Malaysia called on Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri here on Sunday and discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
They also discussed the cooperation within OIC between Pakistan and Malaysia, and the situation in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.
On bilateral side, the two Foreign Ministers decided to hold the Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in Islamabad in January 2007 to increase the economic interaction between the two countries.
They agreed that increase in trade and investments will be the focus of attention of the two countries.
The bilateral trade, which has fluctuated between US$ 500-700 million, needs to be increased exponentially for which the conditions are ripe given Pakistan’s economic growth and the dynamic economic development in Malaysia.
Establishment of Joint Investment company, export of Halal meat, joint venture in shipping, cooperation in health, IT and energy sectors have been some of the issues of mutual concern.
Pakistan and Malaysia coordinate closely on matters relating to OIC and the two Foreign Ministers discussed all issues related to the OIC.
The Malaysian Foreign Minister recalled that Foreign Minister Kasuri was the first to have responded to his call for support to Lebanon after Israeli attack and two Foreign Ministers visited Lebanon together.
They also discussed the developments in South East Asia especially the change in government in Thailand.