Pakistan and Turkmenistan agree to deepen political, economic and defense cooperation

ISLAMABAD, Jul 23 (DNA):Pakistan and Turkmenistan on Tuesday agreed to intensify their efforts for deepening bilateral cooperation in political, economic and defence domains besides reiterating their commitment to enhancing bilateral trade to make it commensurate to existing potential.

Bilateral relations were discussed during a personal meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, as well as during the third round of bilateral political consultations (BPC) co-chaired here.

Both foreign ministers told the media at a joint press conference after their meeting that the BPC conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral relations in all aspects and also deliberated on developing closer economic cooperation in priority investment areas, including energy, connectivity and information technology.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said both sides would intensify exchanges at the leadership level as Pakistan was eagerly awaiting the visit of Turkmen national leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow to further promote and strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.

He said both countries have deep-rooted relations based on a common vision of peace and prosperity.

The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the investment climate in Pakistan, particularly the special role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). He also invited Turkmen companies to take advantage of the favorable investment climate and opportunities in Pakistan.

Furthermore, he said that Pakistani seaports provide an opportunity for the business communities of two countries to explore win-win situations and they were invited to leverage the potential of Gwadar and Karachi seaports to enhance their international connectivity.

Both sides also discussed the progress of the TAPI gas pipeline and the power line, which offer tremendous opportunities for both countries and the region.

Dar said both countries agreed to work on trade diversification and accelerate the transit trade agreement
in addition to promoting bilateral parliamentary exchanges, educational scholarships and personal contacts.

Ishaq Dar also briefed his Turkmen counterpart on the poor human rights situation in India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated that lasting peace in South Asia depends on a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov said in his speech that the BPC included a broad debate on political and diplomatic ties, trade, economic and cultural exchanges, and also identified opportunities for mutual cooperation.

He called friendly relations with Pakistan one of the priorities of Turkmen foreign policy and said that Pakistan is an important partner as both sides have the same views in almost all areas of regional and global importance.

He thanked Pakistan for its consistent support for Turkmenistan’s neutrality and stressed that both countries have continuously supported each other within the framework of international organizations, especially the United Nations.

Meredov said that during the discussions on the TAPI gas pipeline and electricity transmission and fiber-optic communications along the route of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, both sides agreed to make joint efforts to implement the projects.

He stressed the development of joint modern infrastructure along the East-West and North-South corridors and said both countries had also agreed to maintain active dialogue on creating international transport routes to harness the potential of public transport.