Access to Gwadar, Karachi ports to be offered: Tajik president due next week

ISLAMABAD: President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahman is likely to visit Pakistan next week on a State visit, well informed sources told Business Recorder.

During the visit, Pakistan and Tajikistan will hold discussions on different bilateral issues and explore new avenues of cooperation in diverse fields including trade, economy, energy and people-to-people contacts. Pakistan will offer access to Tajikistan to Gwadar and Karachi ports.

According to sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has setup a committee to review all current agreements and memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with Tajikistan so as to finalise the prime minister’s briefing papers and talking points. The committee will propose new agreements and MoUs that could be signed during the forthcoming high-level visit.

The sources further said the PM has nominated Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif to chair the committee that would include Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Economic Affairs Division as well as the SAPMs and secretaries from relevant ministries and divisions.

In view of the urgency of the matter the prime minister has directed that the committee may meet at the earliest. Ministry of Foreign Affairs would provide secretariat support and undertake further necessary coordination with the relevant ministries to make the visit successful.

Last month the PM met President Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, in Sharm El Sheikh, on the sidelines of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-27).

During conversation, the issues of cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan at the bilateral level and within the framework of the world’s most influential organisations, including the United Nations, were discussed.

On October 13, 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with Tajik president on the sidelines of the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), in Astana, Kazakhstan.

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. Tajik president assured him of Tajikistan’s continued support in this regard, including despatch of an additional convoy of trucks carrying essential flood relief items.

Both the leaders agreed on further increasing high-level contacts, inter-parliamentary ties and technical level meetings to further promote substantive cooperation.

The PM underscored the need to boost cooperation in the energy sector. It was agreed to work together for early completion of CASA 1000 project, which would be a harbinger of future energy corridors with Central Asia.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022