CASA connectivity and economic opportunities: PM in Tashkent for two-day conference

TASHKENT: Islamabad’s recent pivot from hard power to economic power will come into sharp focus as Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives here to attend a summit meeting centred on connectivity and economic opportunities of the region with Pakistan at its heart.

The International Conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” is being held at the special initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on July 15-16, 2021.

The high-powered forum aims at strengthening historically close and friendly ties, trust and good-neighbourliness between Central and South Asia in the interests of all peoples and countries of the two adjacent regions.

Besides Prime Minister Khan, the conference will be attended by the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, foreign ministers and high representatives of the Central and South Asian countries, other foreign states, heads of authoritative international and regional organizations, global financial institutions and companies and leading international think tanks devoted to the two regions.

During the breakout and plenary sessions, the forum will discuss the possibilities of promoting initiatives aimed at developing trade, economic, transport, communication, cultural and humanitarian cooperation with the view to further deepening regional connectivity.

The agenda will include implementation of specific projects and cooperation programs, enhancing interaction in tourism, education, healthcare, science and culture, ensuring stability and security of the two regions.

Prime Minister Khan’s vision for regional connectivity and development is centred around five policy planks: political stability; trade and investment; energy and connectivity; security and defence; and people to people contacts.

His government has consistently championed transitioning Pakistan from a geostrategic to geo-economic role. He has attached the highest priority to pursue the mutual interest of regional connectivity in CASA (Central Asia–South Asia).

Vis-à-vis the landlocked Central Asian countries including Uzbekistan, Pakistan offers the most advantageous access to the sea lanes through the Arabian Sea ports of Gwadar, Karachi and Bin Qasim. Pakistan hopes initiatives around this connectivity for trade and commerce should boost business and tourism ties as well as people-to-people contacts with these countries. Pakistan and Uzbekistan shared the view that security and stability of Afghanistan is key to unlocking the enormous trade connectivity potential of the region.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Trade Razak Dawood is already in Tashkent along with a delegation comprising 135 business leaders from the country to discuss trade and investment opportunities between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

Earlier, the sixth meeting of the Uzbek-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation (IGC) was held in Tashkent on Wednesday 14 July, 2021.The IGC meeting was co-chaired from the Uzbekistan side by Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade, and from the Pakistani side by Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser for Commerce and Investment to Prime Minister.

It was agreed that a trans-Afghan corridor, which connects Uzbekistan and Pakistan, will play an important role in enhancing bilateral trade between the two countries. The two sides agreed to expedite the implementation of the project. The co-chairs expressed satisfaction on holding the inaugural Joint Business Council meeting on the side-lines of Joint Ministerial Commission meeting.

The parties agreed to deepen partnership in the field of industrial cooperation, including by organizing joint ventures in the field of textile industry, assembly of agricultural machinery, processing and packaging of fruit and vegetable products.