Islamabad: Felicitating Pakistan Premier Chawdhary Shujaat Hussain on his assumption of office, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that he looked forward to working with him to consolidate the present positive trends in bilateral ties.

"I look forward to working with you to consolidate the present positive trends in our bilateral relationship and taking our dialogue process forward," Singh said in a message.

Hussain's counterparts from Bangladesh and Nepal also extended warm greetings to him.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said her country attached great importance to its relations with Pakistan and "the extent and depth of our ties call for continuous engagement at all levels between our two countries". She also hoped to work closely to further deepen bilateral cooperation and promote peace and stability and economic development in the region through the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) process.

In his felicitation message, Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said "I am confident that the friendly relations that have been existing between our two countries will be further strengthened during the term of your office."