Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi offered his Nigerian counterpart Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC) of Pakistan services for exploration and laying oil/gas pipelines as the organisation has vast skills, technology and trained manpower to undertake such projects, says a statement released by foreign office about FM visit to Kampala. Qureshi in his meeting with Al Haji Tijjani Yahaya Kaura Minister of State for foreign affairs of Nigeria in Kampala Uganda, said that the two sides must boost trade to further expand economic relations. Pakistan would also open a trade office in Lagos, he added. Both the countries agreed to fight the menace of drug trafficking. On the sidelines of 35th OIC council of foreign ministers (CFM) meeting, Qureshi also extended an invitation to Ugandan Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan along with a business team, which was accepted by Ugandan Foreign Minister. Qureshi also urged the Ugandan FM to lift tariff imposed on Pakistani rice. The Foreign Minister assured continuation of scholarships to Ugandan students under its technical assistance programme. Foreign Minister Qureshi said the Karakoram Highway provided easy access for Kyrgyzstan to Pakistani seaports. Pakistan attached great importance to the seamless operationlisation of the Quadrilateral Agreement for Traffic in Transit, which facilitates this access. In addition to Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, China and Kazakhstan are parts of this agreement. In his meeting with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored the importance Pakistan attached to its close friendly bilateral relations with Kyrgyzstan which are also expanding through the platforms of Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) and Economic Co-operation Organisation (ECO). Foreign Minister Qureshi said Pakistan will host the Eighteenth ECO Council of Ministers and Tenth ECO Summit in Islamabad later this year and looking forward to welcoming the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister and President Kurmanbek Bakayev at the meetings. Pakistan and Turkey enjoy close bilateral relations, they have similarity of views on international and regional issues, and they cooperate closely in multilateral fora. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey and Pakistan had a "special relationship" which, agreeing with Foreign Minister Qureshi, he said was a people to people relationship in true sense. The two Foreign Ministers underlined the need to revitalise OIC as an effective organisation. The adoption of a new Charter in last OIC Summit was an important step in that direction. They also underscored the importance of forming a co-ordinated strategy by OIC in the multilateral organisations, particularly Islamic countries voting as a bloc by the OIC member countries for each other's candidatures. During his meeting with Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, Foreign Minister of Senegal, the Foreign Minister urged his Senegalese counterpart that the inaugural session of the bilateral Joint Ministerial Commission should be held at an early date. He said that Pakistan could provide good quality rice to Senegal at competitive prices. He added that a Senegalese delegation was awaited in Pakistan to enhance bilateral economic co-operation and interaction. The Senegalese Foreign Minister asked for Pakistani assistance in provision of know how and technology in agriculture sector, especially in rice cultivation. The Foreign Minister assured him of Pakistan's co-operation in the sector. Foreign Minister Qureshi and Foreign Minister of Albania Lulzim Basha expressed satisfaction over the status of bilateral relations, and hoped that they would be further strengthened in the days to come. The Albanian Foreign Minister agreed with Foreign Minister Qureshi that the economic dimension of the relationship needed to be further strengthened. The two also discussed the possibility of joint ventures and investments in the fields of banking and pharmaceuticals, and agreed that an institutional mechanism needed to be devised between the two countries to follow up on these and other proposals. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008