KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said here Sunday that Pakistan is a safe country for foreign investment.

    Qureshi made this remark in his written interview with Bernama, the national news agency of Malaysia, during his visit here to attend the Foreign Minister's meeting of The Group of Eight Developing Islamic Countries (D8).

    In responding to questions pertaining to security and trade opportunities, Qureshi said Kuala Lumpur and Islamabad have excellent relations with Malaysia being the country's largest foreign investor.

    Qureshi added that in the first half of 2008, Malaysia invested656 million U.S. dollars in Pakistan.

    Given the low asset prices and Pakistan's growth potential, large population, low costs, English-speaking middle classes and similarities between both countries' land codes, Qureshi said it is time for Malaysian investors to invest in Pakistan.

    Qureshi also said that both nations were committed to further enhancing the trade relations, hoping that the free trade agreement signed between the two countries could forge substantive economic partnership.

    According to Bernama, the total trade volume for 2008 between Malaysia and Pakistan stood at nearly 1.9 billion U.S. dollars, with Pakistan's exports at 128 million U.S. dollars and imports at1.7 billion U.S. dollars.

    Qureshi said Pakistan was expected to grow between 3.5 and 4 percent this year despite global downturn while consistent liberalization, deregulation, privatization, and facilitation were carried out to boost foreign investment.

    The D8 meeting is scheduled to be held on Nov. 2 to discuss the action plan of the Ten-Year Roadmap aimed at encouraging greater economic cooperation and resources mobilization between member states.