Top level talks between Tajikistan and Pakistan held in Dushanbe

Top level talks between Tajikistan and Pakistan are being held in Dushanbe.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Dushanbe Wednesday morning on a two-day official visit to Tajikistan in a bid to boost bilateral relations and cooperation between the two nations.  A high-level delegation, including federal ministers and officials, is accompanying Nawaz Sharif on his visit to Tajikistan. 

According to the Tajik president’s official website, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif discussed state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between their countries.  

Both sides reportedly expressed satisfaction with the current level of political confidence between the two nations and pointed to the necessity of expanding economic cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan. 

Leaders of Tajikistan and Pakistan reportedly also pointed to the necessity of speeding up the process of coordinating the bilateral arrangements of transit trade and Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Tajikistan and Pakistan.  

Rahmon outlined sectors like energy, industry, transportation, tourism, and minerals as area that could drive the two-way trade between the two countries.

As  a landlocked country, Tajikistan is interested in using opportunities of Pakistan’s seaports, Rahmon noted.    

Emomali Rahmon and Nawaz Sharif during their meetings also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues being of mutual interest.

Tete-a-tete talks between Tajik and Pakistani leaders were followed by negotiations between the government delegations of the two countries. 

The two sides are expected to sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements on different fields during the visit.

Meanwhile, The Express Tribune (Pakistan) reports a joint declaration entitled ‘Road towards Strategic Partnership for Regional Solidarity’ will also be signed during the visit.  Besides, a meeting of ‘Joint Business Council’ will be held for enhancing bilateral trade and commercial ties.

A trilateral summit between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan is scheduled to take place in Dushanbe tomorrow.  

Tajikistan is also hosting a Quadrilateral Summit of CASA-1000 member states that include Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.  The CASA-1000 project aims at developing energy corridor and land connectivity between Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.