The Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) in association with the Committee on Development (DEVE) and the EP Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia holds an exchange of views with Makhdoom Shah Mehmood QURESHI, Pakistani Foreign Minister.

Brussels

exchange of views

meeting

EU - Pakistan (T)

natural disasters (T)

GOMES, Ana (S&D, PT)

humanitarian aid (T)

ARLACCHI, Pino (S&D, IT)

BOZKURT, Emine (S&D, NL)

QURESHI, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood (PK)

Humanitarian aid for Pakistan: extracts from the exchange of views with Makhdoom Shah Mehmood QURESHI, Pakistani Foreign Minister

SOUNDBITE (English), Pino ARLACCHI (ALDE, IT), You know, there are 47 countries now on the Afghan soil with a military intervention. And some of them pretend that they are not interfering and are causing Pakistan interfere into Afghanistan. Is a bit paradox that stuck me many times seeing complaining if Pakistan interferes on a country, which has to 2000 kilometres border which you have share culture, people, language and so on.

SOUNDBITE (English), Emine BOZKURT (S&amp;D, NL), Human rights treaties, the issue of the Geneva convention for refugees which was surely not signed by Pakistan. Now I heard you say in your introduction that you said something like today we agreed to all international conventions in Human rights. Do you mean that you signed convention, the Geneva Convention for refugees or maybe you are planning to sign it?

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), Indian-Pakistani conflict about Kashmir but behind that is actually probably the most dangerous conflict for world security. Not just for India and Pakistan, but for the world security. Because we are talking about two nuclear powers outside the NPT and my question to you is: where is Pakistan regarding the NPT. Now in view of developments that took place in last reviewed conference of the NPT when you have president Obama coming out and talking about world free of nuclear weapons and one thing indeed the NPT to be threatened.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), Today in Pakistan we have a governmental office that can relate to the European Union and can be friends and partners to the European Union and that is a significant development.

SOUNDBITE (English), Makhdoom Shah Mehmood QURESHI, Minister of foreign affairs of Pakistan, To be fair, we have in command, you know, a person who has overseen the transition to the democracy. Today the military leadership is been commanded. The military is being commanded by an individual who has facilitated that process and is joining the line of the elected political government.

SOUNDBITE (English), Makhdoom Shah Mehmood QURESHI, Minister of foreign affairs of Pakistan, Yes we are, we are nuclear power today and this is purely defensive initial. We have no aggressive desires it is purely a defensive mechanism in reaction to, you know, one of the states in region that went ahead and knowing the size and the conventional unbalance, we had to do that. But today fortunately we have a place with that neighbor of ours - nuclear sibilance that we have set and worked out together and despite the tensions, despite everything we have honored them, both sides have honored them.

SOUNDBITE (English), Makhdoom Shah Mehmood QURESHI, Minister of foreign affairs of Pakistan, And to be fair to them., both sides have honored them, because both sides realize how sensitive and how delicate this thing is. And how secure this assets ought to be. And I want to share with you, when the invention Obama summit in Washington is, Pakistan was invited. Pakistan participated and there was a unanimity that that the assets in Pakistan, the national command authority that we have and the security systems that we have in place are assets are as secure as anybody else's. 