Islamabad, Dushanbe in strategic alliance

MoUs signed on aviation, agriculture and tourism

DUSHANBE:

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday stressed upon expansion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Tajikistan as the current volume did not reflect the current level of brotherly relationship between the two countries.

Addressing a presser along with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the PM said that they had signed a number of MoUs which would be very helpful in furthering their bilateral ties.

The PM especially mentioned the agreement over strategic partnership.

“These agreements will go a long way in furthering our brotherly ties and expanding our scope of cooperation,” he added.

Shehbaz also assured Tajik president that he would work closely with him to further cement the brotherly ties not only in fields of agriculture, education, health and investment but also in expansion of bilateral trade.

He emphasized that both countries need to collaborate closely and set targets for increasing bilateral trade and investment. He cited the transportation of goods from the port of Karachi to Tajikistan via Afghanistan, and proposed a rail-road connectivity project for goods from Dushanbe to Karachi port through Afghanistan.

The prime minister termed this existing opportunity as ‘an area of huge economic importance for both countries’.

He said Pakistan would be keen to be a part of China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan trade corridor project, adding ‘it would be another opportunity to broaden the multilateral trade’ in the region.

He also expressed the confidence that the CASA 1000 would be completed next year, bringing prosperity in this region.

Shehbaz also referred to an MoU pertaining to relaxation of visa requirements, highlighting its potential to facilitate the achievement of mutual goals.

The prime minister said the two brotherly countries had been the victims of terrorism; Pakistan faced this menace for years and paid a huge price in terms of human lives and of course, suffered colossal economic losses.

Thousands of people laid down their lives to defeat the menace of terrorism, he said, adding the armed forces of Pakistan had been fighting this menace and its officers and Jawans gave huge sacrifices in the line of duty. Police and other law enforcement agencies personnel also rendered huge sacrifices.

The prime minister also offered cooperation to Tajikistan in this regard and said the two countries could fight this menace collectively wherever it existed and in any shape.

Shehbaz reiterated that peace was imperative for progress and prosperity of the region as it was directly linked with the development of the region.

The prime minister said today, the world was facing different challenges, the war in Ukraine, and genocide in Gaza in which almost 40,000 Palestinians had lost their lives including children and mothers.

“It is genocide”, he said, adding that the mankind had not seen such scale of destruction in recent times.

Pakistan also deeply condemned what was happening in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), he said and reiterated that durable peace could not happen without just solution to the Kashmir issue in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the implementation of resolutions of the United Nations Security Council in this regard.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the existing fraternal ties between the two countries.

They discussed the entire range of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Tajikistan, including trade and economy, investment, connectivity, culture, education, science & technology, defence, humanitarian assistance, parliamentary exchanges, and people-to-people contacts.

Earlier, the official welcoming ceremony was held at Qasr e Millat. Upon arrival at Qasr e Millat, the president of Tajikistan received the prime minister, and he was given a guard of honour.

The welcome ceremony was followed by a tete-a-tete meeting and delegation level talks, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The two leaders signed the ‘Strategic Partnership Agreement’, which upgrades bilateral relations to the level of a long-term strategic partnership.

To further deepen and diversify bilateral relations, the two sides signed a number of Agreements/MoUs in the fields of aviation, diplomacy, education, sports, people to people linkages, industrial cooperation, tourism, etc.

Both leaders also expressed their serious concern over the ongoing situation in Gaza where Israeli atrocities have resulted in the killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians, including women and children.

The two leaders urged the international community to redouble efforts to end the violence and bring peace in the region.