Pakistan desires to see Turkmenistan join CPEC

Looking forward to improving regional links, forging stronger ties

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is keen to see Turkmenistan join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in order to promote linkages with the southern port of Gwadar and the Arabian Sea, says the minister of commerce.

“As we move forward to improve regional connectivity, we could further align our economic and trade interests,” said Khurram Dastgir while speaking at the first Pakistan-Turkmenistan Business Forum on Thursday.



He underlined Pakistan’s commitment to forging strong relations with regional states in an attempt to give a boost to trade and economic activities.



He called the holding of the first business forum a step in the right direction, which would be instrumental in deepening linkages between business communities of the two countries and raising the level of bilateral trade significantly as at present it stood well below the potential.

Dastgir noted that extensive interaction between the Pakistani and Central Asian leadership reflected the fact that the two regions were coming closer and clearing the way for realising the dream of strong inter-regional connectivity.

He highlighted that the western route of CPEC would provide landlocked countries of Central Asia the shortest trading route with East Asia. “Opportunities like the CPEC emerge in decades and in economic significance it is comparable to the great trade route discoveries of the world,” he remarked.



The minister, however, pointed out that trade between Pakistan and Turkmenistan stood quite low at $25 million and had the potential to go higher.

The factors that continued to hamper expansion of trade were lack of direct cargo links, safe and direct land routes, knowledge of Pakistani products and visa facilitation.

“Efforts are being made to overcome these challenges and strengthen trade ties with special focus on enhanced market access, trade promotion and trade facilitation,” he said.

Dastgir was of the view that Pakistan’s recent accession to the TIR (international road transport) convention would greatly facilitate trade with Turkmenistan and other Central Asian states.

Talking to meeting participants, Turkmenistan Deputy Minister of Textile Nepes Gaylyyev highlighted that Turkmenistan was producing fine-quality cotton but its textile industry lacked technological advancement and did not produce a wide variety of products.

“Pakistan is one of the few countries that have a complete chain of industries in the textile sector established since decades,” he said and invited businessmen to invest in the textile sector of Turkmenistan and cash in on the investment opportunities that the emerging market presented.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2016.

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