HYDERABAD: Speakers at a seminar have said that the Central Asian Republics are landlocked allowing Pakistan to provide a sea route to the SCO members, especially non-coastal Central Asia.

Pakistan’s important geographic location gives it an edge in geostrategic, geopolitics and geo-economics.

They said that Pakistan was a resource-rich country, while its natural resources included coal, gas and minerals gave it an edge in attracting foreign investments. This they said while addressing the seminar titled “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit (SCOS) 2024: Regional Security, Economic Cooperation & Connectivity” held in Pir Hussamuddin Rashidi Auditorium, Institute of Sindhology, University of Sindh, which was jointly organized by the Area Study Center Far East and Southeast Asia (ASC-FESEA) and the Department of International Relations here on Wednesday.

In his presidential remarks, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Sindh, Jamshoro Professor Dr. Hamadullah Kakepoto said that exploring trade relations with SCO member countries could further enhance Pakistan’s exports. “If free trade and tariff policies are implemented, Pakistan can serve as a potential market for SCO members”, he said. He noted that Pakistan had a whole history of war against terrorism. Through that experience, the country could aid SCO in the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) as Shanghai Cooperation Organization members were prone to security issues.

“Hosting Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit implies Pakistan’s growing significance in regional dynamics as the summit was a golden chance for our country to show its capabilities in diplomacy, strategic affairs, and economy”, he said and added that Alhamdulillah, Pakistan proved its importance in the region.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024