By IANS,
Brussels : Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will pay an official visit to Brussels June 16-19 leading the country’s delegation to the first Pakistan-European Union Summit, Online news agency reports.
Zardari will also address NATO’s policy making body, the North Atlantic Council.
He will call on the Belgian monarch, King Albert-II, and meet Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy to discuss bilateral relations.
The president will also meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Zardari will address a select gathering of leading Belgian business executives, while a representative delegation of the Pakistani community and the Brussels Kashmir Centre will call on the president.
“The first Pakistan-EU Summit reflects EU’s strong political support to the democratic government of Pakistan. It is explicit recognition of Pakistan’s important role in promoting peace, stability and development in the region,” an official statement issued here said.
“The EU is expected to express its readiness to explore mechanisms to accommodate Pakistan’s request for greater market access and enhancement of bilateral trade by agreeing in principle to move towards an eventual Pakistan-EU FTA,” the statement added.
The EU has summit level arrangement with six states – the US, Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea.