DUSHANBE, January 8, Asia-Plus — Outgoing Pakistan Ambassador to Tajikistan Ikramullah Mekhsoud (phonetically spelled) conferred today with President Emomali Rahmon at the end of his tenure to Tajikistan.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with President Rahmon, Pakistani diplomat said that they had discussed priorities of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting it was noted that cultural cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan currently did not correspondent to its real potential. Pakistani ambassador named lack of transport communication as one of reasons for that.
He also noted that a bridge across the Panj River linking Tajikistan’s Nizhny Panj with Afghanistan’s port Sherkhan Bandar provided good opportunities for expansion of Pakistan’s cooperation with Tajikistan and other Central Asia’s states.
Asked whether Pakistan will participate in consortium to complete construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power station (HPS), Pakistani diplomat noted that the main attention would be paid to construction of power grid via Afghanistan to Pakistan.
Commenting on the level of two-way trade between Tajikistan and Pakistan, he said that it was low and one of reasons for that was lack of direct communication between the two countries. “We failed to use all existing opportunities,” Ikramullah Mekhsoud said.
He noted that Pakistan intends to open its trade representative office at the Tajik-Afghan border in Nizhny Panj.
He also highly appraised cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan in fighting terrorism.
New Pakistani ambassador is expected to arrive in Dushanbe in some three weeks, when the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tajikistan and Pakistan will be marked.
