ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Friday said that Pakistan wanted to promote commerce and trade relations with Australia. Talking to an Australian parliamentary delegation led by Australia’s Senate President John Hogg at the Prime Minister’s House, the prime minister said that Australia was an important development partner of Pakistan and the government valued this relationship.“We are thankful for Australia’s assistance in flood relief efforts,” said the prime minister, adding that Pakistan had investment opportunities, especially in coal and power generations. He appreciated the Australian government for providing scholarships for Pakistani students.Senator Hogg said the purpose of visit was to learn from the experience of Pakistani parliamentarians in dealing with their constituents in an era of revolutionary changes in information technology and social media. He said Australians had to travel long distances to meet people. There is no alternative to face-to-face contacts and to develop personal relations, he said.  He looked forward to the visit of Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari to Australia. Senator Hogg said that Pakistan and Australia enjoyed close relations. Pakistan, he said, had an important role to play in the stability of the region. He informed the prime minister that the visiting delegation would travel to Afghanistan. He told the prime minister that the delegation’s interaction with the parliamentarians and other sections of society in Pakistan remained fruitful and they got firsthand knowledge of ground realities in Pakistan. The prime minister said the exchange of parliamentary delegations would pave the way to cement bilateral relationship.He said that Pakistan was facing the scourge of terrorism and was fighting as a frontline state to eliminate this menace. The Australian parliamentary delegation included Timothy Speancer Geroge, High Commissioner of Australia, Senator Sean Edwards, Nick Champion, Senator David Johnstaon, Graham Perrett, Jill Hall, Julia Cliffort and Melissa Kelly. Acting Senate Chairman Sabir Baloch, Minister for National Food Security Mir Israr Ullah Zehari, Senators Haji Muhammad Adeel, Nesreen Jalil and Usman Saifullah Khan assisted the Prime Minister in the meeting.