(IRNA) - Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said that his country has not abandoned the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project and is currently discussing a price structure with Iran.
Kasuri told the state-run television that Pakistan was also looking at imports of gas from Turkmenistan and other countries, reports Trend.
He said Pakistan was a fast growing economy whose needs for energy were growing by the day.
He said Pakistan foresees its own reserves to be insufficient to meet its energy demands in the future if it were to maintain its current economic growth, which is one of the highest in the world.
Hence, he added, it was of utmost importance to Pakistan to have access to nuclear energy.
The foreign minister said Pakistan was prepared to establish nuclear parks in the country where foreign companies could operate independently.
He concluded by saying that as part of the strategic partnership agreement concluded during President Bush's visit to Pakistan, the US was helping Pakistan in the energy dialogue in meeting its energy needs.
Foreign Minister Kasuri said that the outcome of recent elections in the United States would not affect Pakistan-US relations.
Pakistan, he said, enjoyed special relations with the US whose policy toward Pakistan had bipartisan support in the US Congress.
He said that the policy of the US' political parties, the Republicans and Democrats, was based on the 9/11 Commission Report, which stressed the centrality and importance of Pakistan for regional and international peace and security.
The foreign minister said Pakistan's congressional caucus in the US was bipartisan and had around 70 members currently and that membership was increasing in view of the importance given to Pakistan.