Pakistan has asked the Economic Co-operation Organisation (ECO) to facilitate the implementation of Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA) for smooth movement of goods and passengers within the ECO region. The Secretary General ECO was asked to play his role in urging the government of Turkmenistan and the government of Uzbekistan for signing the TTFA to help all member countries reap the benefits of inter-regional trade.
In a meeting between Communication Minister Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan and ECO Secretary General Muhammad Yahya Maroofi here on Wednesday, the minister said Pakistan had launched a truck caravan in September 2010 that proved a major step forward in the implementation of TTFA in the ECO region.
He said that ECO region has a population of around 400 million people having total GDP of $6 billion. The minister said that ECO provides a dependable and active forum for socio-economic integration and offers the main North-South and East-West transport corridors and infrastructure networks and services that directly link the whole of Asia.
Pakistan with its major ports, huge economic potential and strategic gateway for China and the landlocked countries of Central Asia is ideally located to seize the enormous potential offered by the globalisation of markets. Dr Arbab Alamgir said the government of Pakistan is already taking corrective measures for removing barriers hindering the trade in the region and assured that the ministry of communications is working whole-heartedly in making road transport more flexible, reliable and efficient.
Muhammad Yahya Maroofi realising the need to activate the TTFA said he will take up the matter with the member countries and added that ECO would also facilitate government of Pakistan in implementing the TTFA for development of cross-border transport corridors. The ECO secretary general appreciated the role of Pakistan as one of the initiators of the idea to organise the ECO-IRU Silk Road Truck Caravan and hoped that Pakistan will continue to take a lead role in the region to facilitate trade and road transport by implementing the key global multilateral instruments.