Pakistan and Tajikistan Discuss Expanding Cooperation in Road Transport and Air Links

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has highlighted the importance of promoting connectivity between Pakistan and Tajikistan and emphasized the expansion of cooperation in the fields of road transport and air links. The Prime Minister discussed this with Emomali Rahmon, the President of Tajikistan, in a meeting today in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). He also reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to provide Tajikistan access to Gwadar and Karachi ports. The Prime Minister recalled his meeting with the Tajik President on the sidelines of the SCO Summit at Samarkand last month and expressed satisfaction over the steadily increasing bilateral engagement in diverse areas. The two leaders agreed to further increase high-level contacts, inter-parliamentary ties, and technical-level meetings to further promote substantive cooperation. The Prime Minister underscored the need to boost cooperation in the energy sector. It was agreed to work together for the early completion of the Central Asia-South Asia (CASA)-1000 project, which would be a harbinger of future energy corridors with Central Asia. Moreover, the two leaders discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed on the need to work together to strengthen peace, stability, and security in the region. They also agreed to strengthen their engagement to foster greater economic cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, energy, and connectivity. The Prime Minister updated the Tajik President on the rehabilitation work being undertaken by his government in the aftermath of the catastrophic floods in the country. He stressed the need to make joint efforts to cope with the rising danger of climate change-induced natural disasters. President Emomali Rahmon assured the Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, continued support in this regard, including the despatch of an additional convoy of trucks carrying essential flood relief items.