President Alvi calls for enhancing trade ties among regional countries

ASHGABAT: President Dr Arif Alvi held a meeting with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and agreed to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

They concurred to further strengthen the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to achieve its objectives.

The two leaders underlined the need for collective efforts of the region, particularly of the Islamic countries to counter Islamophobia.

President Alvi said that there was a need to work together to tackle the challenges being faced by the region. And thanked the Turkish president for principled stance on the Kashmir issue.

In a separate meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President Alvi exchanged views on bilateral ties, trade and economic cooperation.

He underscored the need for increasing political contacts between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

The two leaders agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation at the regional and international fora.

President Dr Alvi also met his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon; wherein, they expressed satisfaction on the existing state of bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed commitment to continue joint efforts for further solidification of their close ties.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 15th ECO Summit in Ashgabat, according to the President House statement here.

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 and forging a stronger economic partnership.

The two leaders reviewed the state of implementation of CASA-1000 power transmission line project and committed to its early completion.

President Alvi highlighted the prospects of regional integration and connectivity to Tajikistan and Central Asian countries through Pakistan’s seaports.

The two leaders also discussed in detail the regional challenges being faced by both Pakistan and Tajikistan due to the 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 the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

He underscored that de-freezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets was also crucial in preventing economic collapse in the country.

President Alvi underlined the imperatives of inclusiveness, respect for rights of all Afghans, and ensuring that Afghanistan’s territory was not used against any country.

He stressed the importance for both Pakistan and Tajikistan to work together to advance the shared objectives of peace, reconciliation and stability in Afghanistan.

Sustainable peace in Afghanistan will help unlock the vast trade and economic potential in the region and promote the connectivity agenda, he said.

Both the presidents agreed to maintain high-level exchanges between the two countries with a view to advancing close cooperation on bilateral and regional matters.

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