ISLAMABAD: Norway and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism and efforts to curb illegal immigration, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Friday, following Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide’s talks with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad.
Eide arrived in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Thursday on first visit by a Norwegian foreign minister in a decade and held delegation-level talks with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and other officials that covered the full spectrum of bilateral relations between the countries.
The Norwegian foreign minister visited the Pakistani interior ministry and held discussions with Naqvi on further strengthening of bilateral relations, regional and international developments, counter-terrorism and illegal immigration.
During their meeting, Interior Minister Naqvi shared his views about the situation in Afghanistan and “activities of banned organizations” on the Afghan soil, according to the Pakistani interior ministry.
“Afghanistan’s soil is being continuously used for terrorism in Pakistan,” Naqvi was quoted as saying at the meeting. “Pakistan stands as a wall between the world and terrorism. Everyone will have to work together to completely eliminate terrorism.”
The statement comes amid a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan. Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil by militant groups for cross-border attacks against Pakistan, an allegation denied by Kabul.
During the meeting, Naqvi and Eide also discussed prevention of illegal immigration, police training and mutual legal assistance.
“With Pakistan’s effective measures, illegal immigration to Europe has decreased by 47 percent,” Naqvi said, adding that promoting legal immigration was very important to effectively curb the issue.
He hoped that Eide’s visit to Pakistan will prove to be a milestone in advancing bilateral relations, according to the Pakistani interior ministry.
The Norwegian FM praised active role of Pakistani community in Norway.
“The Pakistani community in Norway is playing an important role in various fields including politics and health,” he was quoted as saying.
On Thursday, Eide held meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed cooperation in education, skilled labor, climate resilience and technology, according to Sharif’s Office.
In a separate meeting with Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Eide discussed regional security and bilateral relations, with both sides underscoring the importance of cooperation to address common security challenges and agreeing to expand engagement in defense and security, the Pakistani military said.
