‘CPEC to enhance regional linkages’

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that it would make joint efforts with Kyrgyzstan for economic development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Speaking at an international conference titled “Re-imagining the Silk Road: Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan in the Age of Connectivity” through video link, Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani said that CPEC would play a vital role in enhancing the connectivity among Central Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Northern Africa, and Europe. The event was hosted in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev and members of the parliament participated in the conference besides others, said an official statement issued here.
Sanjrani said that Pakistan was committed to getting access and bringing economic movement on a fast track with Central Asia.
He said that Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provided an opportunity to Central Asian countries to benefit from the corridor.
The Chairman Senate said that CPEC had provided new opportunities to increase connectivity among the countries of the region and the project has emerged as a game-changer for the area. More than 3 billion people would benefit from the project, he said.
Sanjrani said Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan consider the bilateral relations between each other very important. He said that the conference provided an opportunity to discuss important bilateral issues.
He said the two countries have friendly relations with each other but the volume of trade between the two was low. He urged the need to increase this trade volume.
Stressing the need to increase bilateral and economic relations between the two countries, the chairman Senate said that it was the age of connectivity and they should benefit from the connectivity-enabled opportunities to promote progress and development.