From Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Tajikistan on Friday agreed to further promote cooperation in sectors such as communication, particularly land-based connectivity, energy, education, and agriculture. The agreement was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Energy Minister of Tajikistan Daler Jumma who called on him at the PM House.
Regional connectivity projects, including CASA-1000, were also discussed in the meeting. Daler Jumma is visiting Pakistan to participate in the Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Commission.
The prime minister welcomed Daler Jumma to Pakistan and expressed satisfaction with the progress made in bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various sectors during the Joint Commission.
Recalling his visit to Tajikistan and his recent meetings with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Riyadh and Baku, the prime minister extended his best wishes to the Tajik President and expressed hope that President Rahmon would visit Pakistan soon.
He expressed satisfaction with the memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and agreements reached during his visit and emphasized that timely implementation of these agreements would further strengthen bilateral relations.Pakistan’s cuisine
The Tajik Minister thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome and hospitality and emphasized the importance of enhancing relations and cooperation between the two countries.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for investment and communication Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Energy Awais Ahmed Leghari, Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik, Advisor to the PM Tariq Fatemi and relevant government officials.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan on Friday proposed that the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) should be signed between Pakistan and Tajikistan as it is the need of the hour and by signing this agreement the bilateral trade volume will be increased manifold.
“We have already signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan and we want to follow suit with Tajikistan,” he said.
Federal Minister for Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan said this while addressing the “Pakistan Tajikistan Business Forum “along with Minister for Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mr. Jum’a Daler Shofaqir and President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Nasir Quraishi in Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.
In order to further tap the potential of our regional proximity between brotherly countries it is imperative to establish more frequent direct flights, enhance cooperation in the logistics sector, and arrangements for using Pakistani seaports to cater Tajik imports, he said.
The Commerce minister said that the Transit Trade Agreement (TTA) has undoubtedly provided a robust framework for growth and collaboration, however, to truly realize the potential of this agreement, it must be complemented by dynamic business forums and proactive business-to-business (B2B) engagements and providing market access to each other through a PTA.
He said that Tajikistan Minster, official and business community presence here today at this business forum is a testament to the enduring and mutually beneficial relationship between our nations.
The minister said that Promoting international trade, transit and investment is the pivot around which Pakistan seeks to devise its economic policies and “Our vision is to transform Pakistan into a trade, transit and trans-shipment hub ensuring connectivity with Central Asian Republics and beyond.”
Previously, trade to Central Asia and especially to Tajikistan was a tedious task due to the lack of connectivity for businessmen on both sides; however, due to the Transit Trade Agreement, the trade routes between both countries have been streamlined facilitating the seamless movement of goods and services across our borders, he said.
