ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has said building close cooperative relations with Afghanistan is a high priority of Pakistan's foreign policy and a vital component of our vision of a peaceful neighborhood.

Talking to Pakistan's Special Envoy to Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq Khan in Islamabad, today (Wednesday), he said that the stable relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan is imperative for the progress and development of both the countries.

He said bilateral Parliamentary, trade and economic engagement could strengthen the existing fraternal bonds.

He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are brotherly neighboring countries intertwined in religious, cultural and historical bonds.

He said that Afghanistan was gateway to Central Asia, therefore, collaboration in economic activity could bring prosperity for both countries.

Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq Khan informed that Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are time immemorial and deep-rooted through fraternal bonds.

He said that Pakistan continues its efforts for forging a friendly and good-neighborly relationship with Afghanistan, on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He apprised the Speaker about the initiatives of the Government of Pakistan for providing visa facilities to students, businessmen and patients intending to visit Pakistan.