CPEC cornerstone for Islamabad's quest for prosperity: Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a cornerstone of Islamabad's own quest for regional connectivity and shared prosperity.

Sharif was chairing a high level meet on Tuesday to review the current status of Pakistan's relations with its neighbours and strategic partners.

The meeting evaluated various policy options in response to different challenges, in regard to foreign relations and focused on issues pertaining to regional, external and internal security situation.

The meeting also reviewed bilateral and multi-lateral relations with neighbouring countries, future road-map for regional stability and maintenance of mutually beneficial relations with all countries in the region and beyond.

The participants agreed that Pakistan's continued efforts and remarkable sacrifices of both men and material in the war against terrorism have produced positive results, which are universally acclaimed.

Sharif emphasized that Islamabad believes in peaceful co-existence with all countries of the region and looks forward to establishing strong and mutually beneficial relations with countries of the region.

"Peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and economically integrated region must be our shared objective and we must strive for realizing this objective. This could be possible only when we demonstrate a commitment to our aspirations of peace, progress and prosperity", he said.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Lt. General Naveed Mukhtar, DG ISI, Advisor to PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. (R) Nasser Khan Janjua, Mr Fawad Hasan Fawad, Secretary to Prime Minister and other senior officials.