Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Thursday said Pakistan was committed to comprehensively deepen its engagements with Central Asia, which formed a vital part of its extended neighbourhood. Addressing Pakistan-Turkmenistan Joint Governmental Commission here on Thursday, he said the policy of the government aimed at forging comprehensive, multifaceted relationships with Central Asian states, both on the bilateral and regional planes.
Sartaj Aziz said the two countries had embarked upon a project for the export of 1,000MW of Turkmen electricity to Pakistan, through Afghanistan. "We look forward to swift completion of this important undertaking," he added. He said, "We must continue to proactively pursue efforts for the early realisation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline project."
Sartaj Aziz said this would not only yield rich dividends to the countries involved, but also advance the cause of regional co-operation for development. "Our endeavour is to focus on areas that promote peace and stability, contribute to our respective plans for national economic development, and foster greater regional cooperation for enhanced connectivity and shared prosperity," he added.
He said Pakistan and Turkmenistan were two fraternal nations with a unique heritage of common faith, history and political affinity. "We are proud that Pakistan was among the first countries to extend diplomatic recognition to Turkmenistan as an independent and sovereign state in 1991," he added. Aziz said, "We have watched with admiration the steady progress and prosperity that the brotherly people of Turkmenistan have achieved since independence."
He said, "We also appreciate the positive contribution being made by Turkmenistan to regional peace, stability and economic development. We believe this achievement owes substantially to the wisdom and foresight of the Turkmen leadership, and to the hard work and enterprise of the people of Turkmenistan." He said the third meeting of the Joint Governmental Commission took place in Ashgabat in April 2012 and since then, there had been a successful democratic transition in Pakistan. Sartaj Aziz said new government under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was pursuing a foreign policy, with "Peace for Development" as its defining principle.
The Prime Minister's vision places a central emphasis on building a "peaceful neighbourhood" so that the core objective of Pakistan's economic development could be robustly advanced, he added. Sartaj Aziz said it was extremely gratifying that the close, cordial ties between Pakistan and Turkmenistan continue to evolve into a strong partnership since 1991.
He said, "Our bilateral relations had always been marked by mutual trust and understanding, and a desire to continuously expand the horizons of mutually-beneficial co-operation and the two countries hold similar perspectives on major regional and international issues and work closely to promote common interests at various regional and multilateral fora." Sartaj Aziz said it was equally gratifying that regular high-level visits from both sides had helped lay a solid foundation for the steady growth of bilateral relationship.
In the past two decades, the two countries have concluded around 25 agreements and MoUs in diverse fields - including trade, energy, agriculture and livestock, science & technology, education, health, sports and tourism. These instruments provided the requisite legal framework and put in place the necessary institutional mechanisms to enhance mutual collaboration in key areas of common interest, he added. He said Pakistan-Turkmenistan Joint Governmental Commission represented the most important platform to shape the nature and direction of bilateral co-operation and over the years, adding the JGC had helped facilitate fruitful exchanges in the political, trade, economic, scientific and technical, and human resource development fields.
Sartaj Aziz said a vast potential existed in the areas of trade, energy, and economic co-operation, which could and must be harnessed through joint resolve and concerted efforts. He emphasised the need to focus on respective comparative advantages and decide on concrete initiatives to intensify bilateral co-operation in the fields of agriculture, industry, communications, IT, and energy.
Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan was currently engaged in wide-ranging efforts to address severe energy shortages and cognisant of Turkmenistan's potential as a reliable partner to help strengthen energy security. He said Pakistan lied at the crossroads of South, Central and West Asia and besides being a big market of more than 184 million people Pakistan was a neighbour to big emerging economies, especially China with which Pakistan has launched a landmark "Economic Corridor" Project.
He said Pakistan's geographical location, and investment friendly policies, offer vast opportunities. "I am hopeful that the investors from Turkmenistan would take full advantage of these possibilities and government would extend maximum possible facilitation for this purpose," he added.
Highlighting economic achievements of the present government, Sartaj Aziz said despite internal and external challenges, including global financial crisis, natural disasters, fight against terrorism, and energy crisis, Pakistan has been able to maintain a reasonable growth trajectory.
He said since 2008-09, the economy grew, on average, at around three percent annually and despite all odds, the GDP growth rate during the first financial year of the present government was 4.14 percent. "We will endeavour to increase the GDP growth by a further one percent per year, aiming to take it to seven percent by 2017," he added.
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