00:00Well, Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, is on a state visit to China, marking 75 years of diplomatic ties between
00:08the two nations.
00:09I've been speaking to former foreign minister Bilal Bhutto Zardari about that visit,
00:13but I began by asking him about Islamabad's mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
00:20I think that diplomacy is a process and not an event.
00:25And as far as success is concerned, I think diplomacy has borne much fruit in terms of A, achieving the
00:36initial ceasefire,
00:37B, achieving the extension in the ceasefire, and three, creating the space for a dialogue between the United States and
00:50Iran.
00:51There are obviously still differences, still difficulties, but that's exactly what diplomacy is for, is for finding convergences.
01:01And this whole process is aimed on building the momentum from this ceasefire towards a more sustainable peace.
01:10And we're all hopeful that these talks, this diplomacy, is successful, because peace and stability is not only in the
01:19interest of the United States and Iran,
01:22it's in the interest of the entire world.
01:25Yeah, and speaking of the sort of regional effort, as you say, this is affecting everyone around the world.
01:30And we know that Iran has been speaking to regional partners over the weekend.
01:34We also know that at this moment, the president of Pakistan, your father, is in China.
01:42And of course, they are focusing on 75 years of diplomacy.
01:46How important is that relationship in terms of tackling current challenges?
01:52As far as Pakistan and China's relationship is concerned, it exists outside of any immediate context.
02:03We have a long-standing generational relationship.
02:07In fact, the president of Pakistan's current visits to China would even in my own family manifest a three-generational
02:16relationship
02:17between the People's Republic of China and Pakistan.
02:21My grandfather, Shri Tzokhar Ali Koto, when he was prime minister and president.
02:25Lastly, international leader to have a meeting with Chairman Mao.
02:29My mother, former prime minister, Shri Tzokhar Ali Koto, was consistently engaged with China
02:34and as part of that historic human rights, women's rights conference that took place in China at the time.
02:39My father, in his first term as president, made the most visits out of any president in the history of
02:46Pakistan to China.
02:47And we saw a result of that diplomacy, the fruition of CPEC.
02:51And then I also had the honor as foreign minister of Pakistan to engage with China many times.
02:57So our relationship is historic.
02:59It is a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy.
03:02Yeah, and I think you speak to relationships of trust and cooperation through many decades.
03:10I would imagine that those sorts of ties are so important when you're dealing with an issue that affects global
03:18security.
03:19So talk to me a little bit more about Pakistan-China cooperation in a time of instability.
03:25I think Pakistan-China cooperation is historic, is unique in so many ways.
03:31But in one way specifically, I think, within our region, our partnership has always been one that has played out
03:38in the international stage
03:39in the interest of stability, in the interest of building bridges, not dividing countries.
03:49That's Pakistan's former foreign minister, Bilal Bhutto Zadari.
03:52That's Pakistan's former foreign minister.
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