( dpa ) - Yemen and Pakistan said on Saturday they had agreed to bolster bilateral cooperation in trade and defence fields and vowed to press ahead in the fight against terrorism.
In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of a two-day visit to Sana'a by Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro, the two countries said they would jointly work for "a tangible economic and trade cooperation."
The two sides "agreed to focus cooperation on fields of trade, commerce, defence, security, science, education and technology," the statement said.
Condemning "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," the two countries expressed their "determination to combat terrorism," and underlined the need to address its root causes.
Yemen and Pakistan are close allies of the United States in the latter's "war on terrorism" and have been pursuing suspected members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network since the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities.
On the Middle East, the two countries expressed "deep concern" over the "worsening situation" of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip due to blockade imposed on the territory by Israel.
They denounced the actions in Gaza as a "collective punishment of the Palestinians," and called for an "immediate lifting of the Israeli blockade and uninterrupted flow of necessary humanitarian aid and essential supplies to Gaza."
They also urged the international community to play "an active role to secure the right of the Palestinians to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state in accordance with the relevant United Nations' resolutions."
Upon his arrival in Sana'a on Friday, Soomro told reporters that his talks with Yemeni officials would help in "strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in trade and defence production."
He held meetings with his Yemeni counterpart Ali Mujawar and Yemeni Defence Minister Mohammad Nassir Ahmed Ali as well as business executives.
At the conclusion of the visit, the two sides signed two agreements on investment and trade cooperation.
