ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Tajikistan agreed that all efforts should be made to achieve the target of $500 million of bilateral trade.
Pakistan has also pressed Afghanistan for expeditious response on different spheres from the Afghan side, including road link between Pakistan and Tajikistan through Ishkashim (Afghanistan) and Joint Power Project on Kunar River.
At two separate forums held here as well as in Azerbaijani capital Baku, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan held detailed discussions on other related issues, like further facilitation of exporters and the business community.
At the platform of bilateral consultations under the cooperation programme between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and Tajikistan, both sides expressed firm resolve to implement the decisions made by the leadership of the two countries during the visit of the prime minister to Tajikistan in June 2014.
Tajik Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Nizomiddin Zohidi Shamsiddinzoda and Special Secretary Amjad Hussain B Sial, led their respective countries in the bilateral consultations and agreed to hold regular consultations. The next meeting will be held in Dushanbe in 2016.
The special secretary highlighted the importance Pakistan attaches to the fraternal relations with Tajikistan. He stressed that there exists a great potential to further enhance existing trade volume. It is encouraging to note that political relations, defence and security cooperation and economic cooperation between the two countries are improving day by day.
The meeting also covered a wide range of other topics, including connectivity via rail and road, direct flights, Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement, energy cooperation including CASA-1000 Power Import Project, cooperation against international terrorism and extremism and security cooperation between the two sides, besides regional and international issues.
The Tajik deputy foreign minister also called on minister of commerce and minister of state of water and power and discussed issues of mutual interest.
In a meeting with Afghan Finance Minister Eklil Ahmad Hakimi in Baku, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar asked for expeditious response on different spheres from the Afghan side including road link between Pakistan and Tajikistan through Ishkashim (Afghanistan) and Joint Power Project on Kunar River.
He said Pakistan also looked forward to an early response of the Afghan Government to the draft PTA between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the draft Trilateral Agreement on Transit Trade between Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Eklil Ahmad Hakimi expressed appreciation on Pakistan’s eagerness on completing projects in Afghanistan and said he would see to it that on all important matters, responses from the Afghan side were expedited.
Dar gave the Afghan finance minister an update on progress achieved on the decisions taken during the meeting between the two finance ministers last November. He said Pakistan had made continuous efforts to implement, as far as possible, all the decisions.
For facilitation of transit trade, efforts were being made like development of Web Based One Customs (WeBOC) System which would help in bringing transparency in the system and enable the Afghan importers and Customs authorities in both countries to trace the cargo en-route to Afghanistan.
At the outset of the meeting, Dar said As part of his vision for a “Peaceful and prosperous” neighbourhood, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif places great emphasis on strong, stable and cooperative ties with Afghanistan.
Such ties were mutually beneficial both for Pakistan as well as Afghanistan, and would enhance regional peace, trade and economic opportunities for the people of the two countries.
Pakistan had resumed work on incomplete projects in Afghanistan in health, education sectors etc. Dar said that funds for the Torkham-Jalalabad Highway had been released and the contractor would remobilize on ground within this month.
Furthermore, the Rehman Baba School Boys Hostel would be completed very soon. Pakistan would extend all possible support to accomplish all tasks such as enhancing road/railways connectivity and energy projects.
