- Pakistan’s Minister for Communications and Russian Federation’s Deputy Minister of Transport emphasize accelerating infrastructure development across the region to facilitate trade and economic integration
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia have agreed to collaborate on the establishment of a robust rail and road network to link Pakistan with Russia through the Central Asian States (CASs), providing landlocked states direct access to warm waters.
The agreement was reached during a high-level meeting between Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and Russian Federation’s Deputy Minister of Transport Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial conference held recently in Tianjin, China.
The two leaders emphasized accelerating infrastructure development across the region to facilitate trade and economic integration. The initiative aims to transform Pakistan into a strategic transit hub by enhancing trade corridors and logistical routes extending to Russia and Central Asia.
Highlighting Pakistan’s ongoing modernization efforts, Federal Minister Khan said the country is digitizing its transport infrastructure, introducing barrier-free motorways, mandatory e-tagging, and comprehensive CCTV surveillance. He stated that these reforms are part of Pakistan’s broader goal to optimize regional connectivity and cross-border trade.
Deputy Minister Nikitin acknowledged the potential of Pakistan-Russia cooperation in transforming regional trade dynamics and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to pursuing joint transport and infrastructure projects with Pakistan.
