The President, accompanied by Begum Sehba Musharraf, was received at the Arlanda Airport by Foreign Minster of the Scandinavian country Ms Liala Frivadf, Ambassador Shahid Kamal and senior members of the Pakistani mission.
Arriving after six and a half-hour flight from Is1amabad, the President told newsmen in a brief talk that his meetings with the Swedish leaders would concentrate on augmenting trade and commercial ties between the two countries.
His talks over two days will cover a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest to both countries.
Musharraf is the first head of state from Pakistan to visit Sweden.
The President is accompanied by Minister for Industries, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Senator Wasim Shehzad, MNAs Malik Amin Aslam and Hina Rabbani Khar, foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar and Information Secretary Syed Anwar Mehmood.
Meanwhile at the Islamabad Airport, before leaving on a weeklong visit to Sweden and Finland, President Pervez Musharraf said that it would provide a useful opportunity to expand Pakistan's trade and economic relations with the two Scandinavian countries."We would like to further our economic relationship with these two important countries; we would like to have more investment from them in Pakistan," he said prior to his departure at the Chaklala Airbase.
Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Aziz Khan, Vice-Chief of Army Staff General Muhammad Yousaf and other civil and military officials saw off the President at the Airbase.
Musharraf said that the two countries have also their significance as important members of the European Union. "Our interaction with them means that we are interacting with the European Union in some way, and projecting our cause," he said.
The President will brief the leaders of the two countries on Pakistan's stand against terrorism. "We would be seeking an understanding of our stand against terrorism; we have our environment on terrorism here, and we are dealing with terrorism in our own way as it suits our environment. I look forward to explaining what our environment is, so that there is a better understanding of the compulsions of our environment in dealing with terrorism."
Pakistan's two-way trade with Sweden in 2002-03 totalled $98 million.
In Stockholm, President Musharraf and Prime Minister of Sweden Goran Persson will exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The President will address a gathering of Swedish leaders, parliamentarians, intellectuals, scholars and opinion makers.
Separate meetings with Swedish business community and Swedish Trade Council would also be held.
A meeting of the President with Pakistani community in Sweden has also been arranged.
In 2002-03, Pakistan's two-way trade with Finland totalled $44 million.
In Helsinki, the President will have talks with Finnish President Ms Tarja Halonen. The President will also meet Finland Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen.
He will address a roundtable meeting, to be chaired by a former Finnish President, Matti Athisaari, on 'Pakistan's Challenges, Security and Development'.
The President's engagements also include a meeting with Finnish business leaders, the Confederation of Industry and Employers and the Pakistani community.