Ashgabat, 28 November 2021 (TDI): A bilateral meeting was held between the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan on the sideline of the 15th ECO Summit in Ashgabat on 27 November 2021.
Meeting between Presidents
The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the existing state of bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed the commitment to continue joint efforts to solidify their close ties further.
The President appreciated the momentum of high-level exchanges, including the visit of President Rahmon to Pakistan in June 2021, and the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Tajikistan in September this year.
The President underscored the importance of deepening trade and investment ties and forging a stronger economic partnership. The two leaders reviewed the state of implementation of the CASA-1000 Power Transmission Line Project and committed to its early completion.
The President highlighted regional integration and connectivity prospects to Tajikistan and Central Asian countries through Pakistan’s seaports.
The two leaders discussed in detail the regional challenges faced by both Pakistan and Tajikistan due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The President underlined that the neighboring countries would be most affected by instability in Afghanistan.
He apprised President Rahmanov of Pakistan’s peace and stability efforts and mobilized international support to avert the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. He underscored that the de-freezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets was also crucial in preventing an economic collapse in the country.
The President underlined the imperatives of inclusiveness, respect for the rights of all Afghans, and also to avoid the use of Afghan territory against any country.
President Alvi stressed the importance of Pakistan and Tajikistan working together to advance common objectives. Those objectives were peace, reconciliation, and stability in Afghanistan. The President further stressed that sustainable peace in Afghanistan would help unlock the region’s vast trade and economic potential. The peace in Afghanistan would also promote the connectivity agenda.
Both Presidents agreed to maintain high-level exchanges between the two countries to advance close cooperation on bilateral and regional matters.
PAKISTAN-TAJIKISTAN RELATIONS
Pakistan and Tajikistan established diplomatic relations in 1992. But the cooperation between both dates back to 1991. On March 31, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan held a meeting with the Pakistani Foreign Minister. Qureshi was in Dunshabe to participate Ninth Conference of Foreign Ministers “Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have an Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation. This Commission is one of their main mechanisms for bilateral cooperation.
In the first six months of 2021, there was a recovery in the trade between them, having reached 18.
9 million.
