Pakistan seeks assistance in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived here on Monday to attend the ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP), the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said Monday that Pakistan is trying to engage the private sector of FoDP countries to participate more and more in Pakistani investment and trade activities, said the report.

The Istanbul meeting of FoDP, which aims at finding solutions to the problems of Pakistan, will provide assistance to the Pakistani government in the fields of education, health, energy, economy and local administration.

A pilot project, which touches upon the reconstruction and rehabilitation of displaced people in the Malakand division as well as the prospect of cooperation in public and private sectors, will be discussed at the meeting.

Representatives from 20 countries and 6 international organizations will participate in the two-day meeting, among whom were U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.

Qureshi will also hold formal talks with his Turkish counterpart, according to the report.