NEW DELHI: Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday called for creating an environment of genuine peace and security in South Asia given that there is a direct correlation between security and development.

"This requires us to resolve the differences and disputes within and between our countries through dialogue and compromise," the Pakistani leader said while addressing the opening session of the SAARC summit.

According to him, there was a need to build mutual trust and confidence, thereby removing the obstacle of the trust deficit that had hampered meaningful cooperation in the region.

The Prime Minister argued that SAARC had been slow in catching up with other regional organisations because the political environment in South Asia had remained vitiated by disputes and mistrust.

"We have remained mired in conflict management. The consequent drain on our energies has held us back from achieving the goals that we set for ourselves in the SAARC Charter," he said.

"We South Asians must come to grips with our challenges, both individually as nations and collectively as members of SAARC. We need to evolve a road map for the region that will enable us to leverage our assets and advantages while overcoming our limitations. Only then will we be able to make a difference in the lives of our people."

Level-playing field

While calling for the creation of inter-dependencies and sharing of best practices, Mr. Aziz maintained, "A shared desire for regional cooperation will not suffice — we need to have real and tangible benefits that accrue equally to all sides in order to make such cooperation possible."

The Prime Minister said that a level-playing field was required for a truly effective regional division of labour and production. "As a first step, this would require a truly open environment for regional trade — devoid of all types of barriers to free trade."

Extending a warm welcome to Afghanistan as the eighth member of SAARC, Mr. Aziz said the same welcomed needed be extended to the new observers — China, Japan, South Korea, the United States and the European Union for their formal association with SAARC.

"Their presence here underscores the growing relevance of SAARC in the international community and the extent of its footprint in the world. Pakistan has always advocated such interaction, as we believe this would open up vast possibilities and opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation," he maintained.

"We also welcome the interest expressed by our neighbour, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to be associated with our organisation as an observer and we look forward to their participation," the Prime Minister added.

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