DUSHANBE November 12, 2015, Asia-Plus – On Wednesday November 11, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon arrived in Islamabad on a two-day state visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
Upon his arrival at the Nour Khan airbase, Emomali Rahmon was warmly received by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Pakistan’s
Daily Times
reports Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the PM Syed Tariq Fatemi, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry and other senior officials also accompanied the prime minister.
A high-level delegation comprising ministers, leading businessmen and other senior officials is accompanying Emomali Rahmon on his visit to Pakistan.
This is President Rahmon”s sixth visit to Pakistan.
During his stay, President Rahmon will meet President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and speakers of both houses of Pakistan’s parliament.
The Tajik president’s website says a number of cooperation documents are expected to be signed during the visit.
Meanwhile,
The Express Tribune
(Pakistan) reported on November 10 that Pakistan and Tajikistan are set to connect the South and Central Asia region through planned energy and economic corridors and they are expected to make some headway towards forging this strategic partnership during the visit of Tajik head of state to Islamabad.
Pakistani officials reportedly say that the Central Asia-South Asia 1,000-megawatt power supply program, called Casa-1,000 and an energy project among Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, will be a major area of cooperation, which will be taken up for discussion. The World Bank has already approved funding for this project.
Apart from this, they are pressing on with the Casa-2 electricity import scheme and a joint commission has been formed, according to
The Express Tribune
. Under this project, power transmission lines will pass through the northern areas of Pakistan.
Pakistan and Tajikistan are also working on putting in place transit trade arrangements between the two sides to connect the South and Central Asia region.
“During the Tajik president’s visit, they will discuss energy import, transit trade and linking the region through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which will bring prosperity in the entire area,” said an official of the Tajikistan Embassy while talking to
The Express Tribune
.
Tajikistan has already welcomed the economic corridor and expressed the desire to be part of this gigantic trade and investment project. “The two sides will also hold talks on this issue,” the official was quoted s saying.
