Islamabad: A "just settlement" of the Kashmir issue through a dialogue with India and in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people will be one of his key priorities, Pakistan's new Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.

The other priorities are ensuring regional peace and stability and Pakistan's economic security and creating and preserving means to deter aggression against the country, he said.

"And the fourth priority is to ensure the just settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue with India," Qureshi said in an interview with The Friday Times daily.

He described the statement by Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari regarding the development of full trade relations with India as "absolutely realistic" as economic ties could act as a confidence-building measure.

"We could not develop trade relations with India to the optimum potential. You cannot ignore the fact that a huge (amount of) trade is being carried out through third parties. We have been pursuing a policy of no investment from India for the last 60 years," he said.

"Trade and investment is a big confidence-building measure in itself. We have to be realistic enough to assess whether such a policy is in our national interests," Qureshi said. "Trade and investment relations as well as openness and dialogue with India is in our own interests."

Qureshi said he saw India as "an important country of this region as well as a big neighbour of Pakistan". He said, "You cannot chose your neighbours but you have to live with them."
Source : PTI