This was announced at the ninth ministerial conference of Carec in Cebu Island of the Philippines on Tuesday where ministers welcomed the accession of the two new members, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on its website.
The inclusion of Pakistan and Turkmenistan extends Carec’s reach to the Arabian Sea and beyond, improving Central Asia’s competitiveness in world markets, including East and South Asia, Europe and the Russian Federation, it said.
“We are confident that their (Pakistan and Turkmenistan) participation in the programme will bring benefits to all,” the ministers said in a joint statement. “Carec fosters regional connectivity and instils a regional mindset to look beyond national interests.”
The conference, hosted by Afghanistan, allowed the members to reflect upon a decade of regional cooperation and growth, and to look to the future.
ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda opened the meeting with a call for member countries to take a long-term view on regional cooperation and to focus their actions to build upon past successes that include $13 billion in investments in energy, trade and transportation.
Founded in 1997, Carec has 10 countries in its fold including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and six multilateral institutions. The ADB has served as its secretariat since 2001.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2010.
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