TASHKENT (Uzbekistan), July 15 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said Pakistan’s connectivity with Uzbekistan in trade and bilateral spheres would open up new avenues of prosperity in the region.
“Pakistan has immense potential to connect Central Asia with rest of the world and become a hub of trade,” the prime minister said in his address at the Uzbekistan-Pakistan Business Forum, held here in the Uzbek capital.
The forum was attended by a large number of businessmen from Pakistan and Uzbekistan besides the delegation of prime minister including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Minister for Information Technology Atif Khan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan assured the businessmen and traders of Uzbekistan that Pakistan would extend them every possible facilitation in promotion of trade.
“I want to assure the business community of Uzbekistan that this relationship is just the beginning of the journey of development and prosperity,” he said.
The prime minister said the railway project among Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan would prove to be a revolution of development.
The prime minister stressed that to exploit the region’s potential, peace and security in the neighbourhood was essential.
On the situation in Afghanistan, he said peace in the war-torn country was important to ensure materialization of development projects in Central Asia.
“Pakistan is keen for peace in Afghanistan and considers it vital for trade connectivity among the regional countries,” he said, adding that such trade linkages helped in raising the living standards of the citizens.
Imran Khan referred to the cooperation among the neighbouring countries of the European Union, that focused on bilateral trade arrangements for the benefit of their people.
He hoped that with the support and will of the regional States, the situation in Afghanistan would lead to improvement.
The prime minister said Pakistan and Uzbekistan enjoyed relations rooted in common faith, culture and history and offered a unique dimension to the two nations to explore each other in diverse areas.
Earlier, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov in his speech mentioned the strong ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan in multiple areas of cooperation.
He welcomed PM Imran Khan on his official visit to Uzbekistan, which he said would usher in a new area of cooperation and joint ventures between the two brotherly countries.
Speaking to media in Tashkent, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan and Uzbekistan had vast potential to explore the opportunities of bilateral trade and investment for their mutual interest.
The foreign minister, who is part of the official delegation of Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to Tashkent and attended the Pak-Uzbek Business Forum, said the business community from the two sides showed immense interest in bilateral engagement.
He mentioned that the Pak-Uzbek Business Forum was attended by around 130 representatives of leading companies and business houses from Pakistan.
He said the activity resulted in signing of agreements worth $453 million and hoped that it would lead to further strengthening of bilateral trade.
Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said two important objectives of the prime minister’s visit were to ensure travel facilities among Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan and to deliberate upon ways to ensure peace in Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan desired an effective trade linkage up to Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states.
“We want an effective transportation infrastructure so that the goods loaded from Pakistan’s Karachi and Gwadar seaports could reach Uzbekistan’s Tashkent,” he said in a video message from the Uzbek capital.
He hoped that such measure would increase trade with Uzbekistan “manifold”, and also mentioned the excellent efforts made by the Ministry of Commerce in this regard.
The information minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan, at tomorrow’s important conference on peace in Afghanistan, would highlight Pakistan’s stance on the significance of regional connectivity for a strong economy.
He expressed gratitude to the government of Uzbekistan for extending a warm welcome to the prime minister and his delegation and said the visit would “open up new vistas of economic opportunities between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, and the rest of Central Asia.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt have discussed the possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in his televised statement after the conclusion of the quadrilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt, held in Islamabad today.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Foreign Ministers expressed concern that the ongoing conflict is extremely unfortunate for its devastating impact on lives and livelihoods across the wider region.
He said they agreed that this war is not in favour of anyone and would only lead to death and destruction. The unity of Muslim Ummah in these challenging times is of utmost importance.
Ishaq Dar said the Foreign Ministers reaffirmed unity to contain the situation, reduce the risk of military escalation and create conditions for structured negotiations between relevant parties. He said the Foreign Ministers held a very detailed and in-depth discussion on the current regional situation.
The Deputy Prime Minister briefed the visiting Foreign Ministers on the prospects of potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad. The visiting Foreign Ministers expressed their full support to the initiative.
He said the Foreign Ministers advocated dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable pathway to prevent conflicts and to promote regional peace and harmony.
Ishaq Dar said the Foreign Ministers called for upholding principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Foreign Ministers also discussed ways and means to further strengthen mutual cooperation among the four brotherly countries. In this regard, we decided to constitute a Committee of four senior officials from the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs to work out the modalities through mutual understanding and consensus.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister expressed his profound gratitude to the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt, for their support to Pakistan’s efforts for peace in the region.
He said, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan has maintained regular engagement with its regional and international partners. Pakistan has remained actively involved in all efforts and initiatives aimed at bringing this conflict to an end.
The Deputy Prime Minister said Pakistan also has a very important relationship with the United States. He said Pakistan remained actively engaged with the US leadership as well, as part of our efforts to de-escalate the situation and finding a peaceful resolution of the conflict. In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister said Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks.
The Deputy Prime Minister said Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict.
Ishaq Dar said he had a detailed telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and China fully supports Pakistan’s initiative to host Iran-US talks.
He also mentioned his telephonic conversation with the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres saying that the UN Secretary General has expressed his full support for the peace initiative by Pakistan.
Ishaq Dar said his counterparts from different countries around the world have all extended their full support and confidence in our efforts. He said Pakistan will continue its efforts with sincerity and commitment.
Ishaq Dar said Pakistan will require prayers and support of the entire international community for the success of its endeavours to achieve peace and bring a permanent end to this war.
Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko will arrive in Islamabad for three day official visit today.
This visit is expected to mark a pivotal moment in the growing diplomatic and parliamentary ties between the two nations.
During her stay, Valentina Matvienko is scheduled to meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif besides addressing a special session of the Senate tomorrow.
This visit, featuring significant discussions and strategic engagements, underscores the commitment of both nations to fostering stronger relations.
