Editorial 

Pakistan’s Central Asia Relations 

This May we observed a comprehensive Central Asian spree organized by the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s office with first visiting Turkmenistan and then Kyrgyzstan to explore and revive the relations to a better level.

While visiting the neighboring Kyrgyz Republic, the Pakistani Prime Minister urged to enhance the partnership between both states. Several meetings were held amongst the counterparts and ministerial-level joint dialogues on elevating the relations from usual political to strategic partnership covering all areas of bilateral relations.

New avenues of cooperation were discussed including peace and stability, countering terrorism, narcotics drugs and extremism, trade and economic cooperation, and regional integration.

Along with discussions, two most important agreements were also signed one was about combating drug trafficking and the other was to cooperate in the prevention of natural disasters.

To speed up the process to enhance the partnership in the energy sector, both sides show satisfaction on all important agreements regarding the CASA-1000(Central Asia-South Asia) project has also been concluded during the visit.

As Pakistan is having its economic growth heavily dependent on electricity so CASA-1000 could help to meet its energy needs. Both states also share vision of having peace and stability in the region, about countering terrorism, economic empowerment and regional integration.

The two sides also discussed ways of realizing the full potential of rich human and material resources, through expanding trade, increasing investments, improving infrastructure, building road, and rail links, and enhancing energy collaboration.

As Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit is just around the corner and Pakistan is aiming to join the powerful regional groupings as a full member SCO, the role of Kyrgyzstan as a founding member has its own significance in endorsing Pakistan’s application and will to join the organization. On several occasions, the leadership of Kyrgyzstan always endorsed Pakistan’s positions in the organization.

Earlier Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif visited Turkmenistan. This was the impetus to strengthen and give energy to the relations between the brotherly countries.

The major aim for this high-level visit was to review the whole range of issues in bilateral relations hence providing a new vigor, hope, and momentum to the already built relations. The objective of the visit also was also to discuss energy security, joint economic endeavors including TAPI along with trade and commerce projects, exploring education, defense, and cooperation in science and technology, and enhancing cultural relations.

Several Memorandums of Understandings were also signed between the two countries.  Pakistan values its friendly and historic relations with Turkmenistan and the visit of the Prime Minister to the country reflects the significance of the relations that are based on mutual respect, shared interests, common faith, and vision for peace and prosperity within the region.

TAPI project has remained one of the important projects so far that has all the potentials to cement the region in one whole to create peace and prosperity within the region for all. During the bilateral meetings, it was agreed to promote bilateral trade, public diplomacy, tourism, and enhance people-to-people contacts.

Relations amongst countries might be diplomatic, political, or economic, but what matters most is public diplomacy and people-to-people contacts. There are several headways has been made over the years to promote and enhance people-to-people contacts between Pakistan friendly countries. In this regard, several ideas, projects, and cooperation are underway which are beyond the usual politics of the governments. Several education and youth linkages have been developed.

There is will exist on all sides. What is now necessary is to move a step ahead with each other and build a lasting relationships with nations together hence building a partnership based on love and affinity, which will never perish.