Prime Minister proposes five-point development agenda: Putin announces financing of $0.5 billion for CASA-1000

Terming greater co-operation among regional countries crucial for their development and prosperity, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday stressed the need for enhancing trade, energy and road links.
Addressing the 10th meeting of Heads of Government of Council of Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) held in Russia''s historical city, the Prime Minister proposed a five-point development plan based on the SCO-sponsored intra-regional and inter-regional co-operation in trade, building infrastructure and power links.
The development plan included arranging finance and initiation of work on electricity transmission lines; taking concrete measures to start TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and Iran-Pakistan-India gas line projects; setting up a preferential, and if possible, a free trade zone in the SCO region; co-operation in the financial and banking sectors; and relaxation of visa regimes for diplomats, officials and businessmen.
Gilani represented Pakistan as an observer state at the SCO forum, and was joined by the leadership of SCO member states, including Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, at the Constantine Palace here.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan attaches importance to the SCO and believes that this organisation has the capacity and resolve to overcome the most pressing challenges of time. He added that the SCO has the enormous potential to promote regional economic co-operation in a holistic manner. He said that terrorism, extremism, drugs and syndicate crime were confronting the societies, states and the region. He said that pervasive global economic and financial crisis, unemployment and socio-economic stress were making the picture more bleak.
He said that though daunting, but these challenges could be surmounted by developing a cohesive response based on clarity and firm conviction for working together. He reiterated Pakistan''s desire for a full membership of the SCO and expressed gratitude to all members for their support to this request. Gilani termed security and development as important regional issues. He said the challenges of reconciliation, reconstruction and revival of Afghan polity needed to be addressed objectively. He welcomed the SCO''s role and efforts in this regard.
He said that Pakistan was optimistic that the problems in Afghanistan could be solved with the support of international community and by taking all Afghans on board, regardless of ideological, ethnic or political preferences. He said political realism and clarity demanded that Afghanistan''s sovereignty and territorial integrity was respected by all, and added that Pakistan would continue to contribute to the stability of Afghanistan and support its government and people in their endeavours for reconciliation and reconstruction.
Gilani stressed greater political will and concrete steps to fully realise the vision of SCO. Russian Premier Vladimir Putin announced financing of 0.5 billion dollars for the CASA-1000 that would ensure power transmission from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also called for investment flows to develop national economies.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao highlighted the SCO''s role in eliminating terrorism, extremism and separatism and said the organisation needed to withstand the changes in international scenario. He supported Pakistan''s proposal of building cross-border road links. He suggested policy support for free flow of goods, establishment of a seed bank for co-operation on agriculture and expansion in currency swap. Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov suggested setting up SCO Development Bank and Business Council of SCO to address challenges of global economy.