Belt & Road initiative key to bring prosperity: speakers

LAHORE:Belt and Road Initiative will not only bring prosperity and stability to the countries of the region but also improve the economic conditions of several other countries of the world; speakers from various countries expressed these views while addressing the inaugural function of a 3-day international conference on "The Significance of the Belt and Road Initiative in Regional Connectivity" organised by Punjab University Regional Integration Centre (RIC) in collaboration with Chinese Embassy at Al-Raazi Hall here on Wednesday.

On this occasion, Consul General Chinese Consulate Zhao Shiren, President APNS Sarmad Ali, Chairman Punjab HEC Prof Dr Shahid Munir, President Maritime Centre of Excellence Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali Khan, President of Anakra Centre for Crisis and Policy Studies Turkey Prof Mehmet Seyfettin Trol, Prof Dr M Saleem Mazhar, Prof Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi, CEO KP Board of Investment and Trade Hassan Daud Butt, ED Pakistan Research Centre for a Community with Shared Future Communication University of China Khalid Taimur Akram, Chairman Dept of History Prof Dr Mahboob Hussain, Chairperson Dept of Political Science Prof Dr Iram Khalid, RIC Director Dr Fouzia Hadi Ali, faculty members, experts from 15 countries and 20 universities of Pakistan were present. In his address, Mr Zhao Shiren said that the Belt and Road Initiative was a gift from China to the world and the biggest project of public good. He said that CPEC was the biggest gift from China for the development of Pakistan and it was even more than a gift. He said that CPEC would create excellent opportunities for foreign direct investment in Pakistan. Sarmad Ali said that people of the regional countries can be connected through media. He said that media should play its role in eradicating negative propaganda against Belt and Road Initiative. Dr Shahid Munir said that CPEC was the biggest project for economic and social development of Pakistan which should be accompanied by Knowledge Technology Transfer Corridor. Prof Mehmet Seyfettin Trol said the Belt and Road was a project of peace and prosperity. "It's a time of hybrids and proxy wars," he said, adding the Belt and Road Initiative could boost ties among Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and other countries.