President Asif Ali Zardari and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon who met on the sidelines of SCO summit in Beijing agreed to work together to strengthen regional connectivity through road, air and rail links between the countries in the region for promoting mutual trade and economic activities in the region.
During the meeting, the two Presidents also discussed a wide range of issues in bilateral relations and the regional situation.
Spokesperson to the President, Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the President called for developing implementation mechanisms for effective follow up on agreed decisions.
He said that the President pointed out that the existing formal trade between the two countries amounting to a mere $15m in 2011 was much below their potential and emphasized liberalization of trade through appropriate mechanisms and in this context proposed facilitating visas to the business community.
The President also expressed the hope that the opening of the branch of National Bank of Pakistan in Dushanbe would play an important role in enhancing trade between the two countries, he said.
He said that Pakistani ports offered great opportunities to Tajikistan and Central Asia by providing easy access to the sea and called for the signing of a trilateral transit agreement between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
The Spokesperson recalled that during Zardari-Karzai meeting on the sidelines of NATO summit last month in Chicago the two leaders had agreed in principle to extend the Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement to other countries in Central Asia and the call today for signing a trilateral transit agreement was in furtherance of that decision.
President Zardari said that the lack of air, road and rail connectivity was a major impediment in promotion of bilateral economic relations, people to people contacts and tourism between the two countries.
The President also said that Pakistan was committed to early implementation of CASA-1000 project expressing the hope that the project would receive international support.
The President also offered training facilities in the country’s defence institutions to personnel of Tajik armed forces.
