Islamabad:Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning & Development, has said that the region's connectivity potential would be a key element for a successful regional trade and economic cooperation.
Mr Iqbal was speaking at a conference on “Pakistan-Kazakhstan economic relations” organised here by Institute for Regional Studies (IRS) and Embassy of Kazakhstan. The minister underlined the keen desire of Pakistan and Kazakhstan to further strengthen their cordial ties and build on bilateral cooperation that could catalyse regional trade and connectivity. He stressed the need for greater deliberations on the subject and promised that the recommendations of the moot would be accorded consideration for expeditious implementation.
Jauhar Saleem, President, IRS, in his opening address, stressed the important of building multiple regional linkages for common good of almost half of the global population living in the adjoining regions in this part of the world. He also highlighted the growing economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan, bilaterally as well as through regional organizations such as ECO, SCO and CICA. In this regard he delineated potential for expanding bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade, industry, tourism, infrastructure, energy, and education. Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, highlighted the key aspects of the Kazakh President’s recent address, where, while emphasising the political modernisation and economic transformation measures being implemented to ensure sustainable development, he underscored the alignment of Kazakhstan's national agenda with its foreign policy, inter alia in the framework of bilateral cooperation with Pakistan.
Ahmed Warraich, Additional Foreign Secretary for Afghanistan and Central Asia, emphasised the importance of further developing institutional frameworks to build on Pak-Kazakh relations. He noted that regular meetings, both within bilateral cooperation framework and at major international platforms, demonstrate the commitment of both nations to growing bilateral ties. Dr Nadeem ul Haque from PIDE elaborated Kazakhstan's successful steps in diversifying its economy and importance of applying these practices for the development of Pakistan's economy. He also emphasised the importance of enhancing trade noting that states should strive for interdependence and work to bridge the gap between policy formulation and implementation.