Work on a Transit Trade Agreement underway for extending range of cooperation: Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov
Kazakhstan intends to enhance trade volume by $1b with Pakistan: Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin
Naveed Ahmad Khan
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin called on Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Asad Mahmood here on Wednesday. Senior officers from the Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority were also present.
Talking to the visiting guest, Asad Mahmood said, Pakistan and Kazakhstan are bound in age-old cultural and religious values and the time is to revive this relationship as per requirement of the existing conditions. To this effect, people to people contacts and exchange of delegations may pave the way to bring both the brotherly countries closer. He said, there are vast opportunities of working together in the construction sector. To achieve the targets in the prevailing environment, coordinated planning on bilateral, regional and global level is the dire need of the time. He said, landlocked republics will avail access to rest of the world through development of Gwadar Port which will bring about socio-economic uplift in the whole region, Asad Mehmood added.
Expressing a deep sense of gratitude, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafin said, in the recent past an international gathering was arranged in Kazakhstan on philosophy and services of Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, poet of the east. Besides an international trade conference was also arranged participated by more than 120 international traders including Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. He said Kazakhstan takes interest in developing close relationships with Pakistan in various economic sectors. The visiting ambassador desired to enhance the trade volume by one billion dollars with Pakistan.
Later, Ambassador of Turkmenistan based in Pakistan Atadjan Movlamov also called on Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Asad Mahmood. Welcoming the honourable guest, Asad Mahmood said, great potential exists between Pakistan and Turkmenistan to expand the range of bilateral relations. He termed the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran (TAPI) Gas Pipeline project a big move to overcome the energy crisis. He recalled that fibre optic project is another example of brotherly relationship between the two countries. He said, Pakistan possesses extraordinary ideal location on world map and that all possible measures will be taken to have maximum benefits from this location. Asad Mahmood also desired to nominate focal persons and working groups to explore areas of mutual interests. Speaking about the shared values Asas Mahmood pointed out about 500 joint words which are used in Urdu and Turkmen languages.
On this occasion, Atadjan Movlamov said, work on a Transit Trade Agreement is underway to prepare the ground for extending the range of cooperation between the two countries and that Afghanistan will also be benefitted from this agreement. He said deep rooted shared cultural ties will cement bilateral relationships in the coming years between the two countries, he hoped.