ASHGABAT: President Dr Arif Alvi held a bilateral meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for the Trans-Afghan Railway project and assured all possible cooperation for its early realisation.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 15th ECO Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Ashgabat. The talks covered the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, with a special focus on trade and economic relations, and connectivity agenda.
President Alvi underscored the significance of enhancing structured political ties, and fast-tracking trade and economic cooperation by operationalising the Uzbekistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA).
He underscored the importance of the urgent need for immediate provision of humanitarian and economic assistance for Afghanistan to avert an economic collapse in the country. He stressed the de-freezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets as a priority step in this respect.
Both leaders agreed to work closely towards strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation in regional and international forums. The president reiterated the invitation to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to visit Pakistan at the earliest convenience.
Meeting with Tajik counterpart
Earlier, President Alvi meet his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon wherein they expressed satisfaction on existing state of bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed commitment to continue joint efforts for further solidification of their close ties.
The president appreciated the momentum of high-level exchanges including the visit of President Rahmon to Pakistan in June 2021, and the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Tajikistan in September this year.
The president underscored the importance of deepening trade and investment ties forging a stronger economic partnership. The two leaders reviewed state of implementation of CASA-1000 Power Transmission Line Project and committed to its early completion.
President Alvi highlighted prospects of regional integration and connectivity to Tajikistan and Central Asian countries through Pakistan’s seaports.
The two leaders discussed in detail the regional challenges faced by both Pakistan and Tajikistan due to deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The president underlined that the neighbouring countries will be affected the most from instability in Afghanistan.
He apprised President Rahmanov of Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability and to mobilise international support to avert humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. He underscored that de-freezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets was also crucial in preventing economic collapse in the country.
The president underlined the imperatives of inclusiveness, respect for rights of all Afghans, and ensuring that Afghanistan’s territory was not used against any country.
President Alvi stressed the importance for both Pakistan and Tajikistan to work together to advance the shared objectives of peace, reconciliation and stability in Afghanistan.
He further stressed that sustainable peace in Afghanistan will help unlock the vast trade and economic potential in the region and promote the connectivity agenda. Both presidents agreed to maintain high-level exchanges between the two countries with a view to advancing close cooperation on bilateral and regional matters.
