CPEC open to all, says Nawaz

Turkmen president says economic corridor project will guarantee progress for region

ASHGABAT: Pakistan will welcome any country interested in joining the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in a meeting on Friday. He went on to say that the future of the peoples of the entire region was linked with CPEC which, according to him, would usher in an era of prosperity in Pakistan and beyond.

Sharif said ties between Pakistan and Turkmenistan were being strengthened with the passage of time. He proposed holding a high-level meeting every year in Islamabad and Ashgabat. The two leaders also discussed matters relating to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) gas pipeline and re-establishing air links between the two countries. Tapi would help member countries meet their burgeoning energy needs.



President Gurbanguly agreed with Premier Sharif on CPEC’s importance, saying that the multibillion-dollar project would guarantee progress and prosperity for the entire region.

Appreciating Premier Sharif’s vision, he said the Pakistani leader had taken solid steps for strengthening his country’s economy.

The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Earlier, the prime minister arrived in Ashgabat to lead the country’s delegation at the first-ever Global Conference on Sustainable Transport. He is accompanied by his Adviser on National History and Literary Heritage Irfan Siddiqi and Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi.



The prime minister is visiting Ashgabat at the invitation of the Turkmen president, who is co-hosting the conference along with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The conference is likely to be attended by 1,500 participants, including heads of states and governments, for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“Pakistan is keen to improve connectivity with Central Asian States by establishing transport and communication links. These will help tap the potential of trade, economic interaction, people-to-people contacts and tourism,” said an earlier statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

It said Pakistan and China launched CPEC to provide seamless connectivity to Gwadar and Karachi ports.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2016.