ISLAMABAD
Pakistan has reiterated its firm resolve to a prosperous and peaceful region through mutual cooperation among regional countries. The resolve was expressed by Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz while addressing the 11th session of Pakistan-Kazakhstan Inter Governmental Joint Commission in Islamabad on Friday.
The Minister said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is not just a corridor to serve China and Pakistan but also aims at collaborating with other regional countries including Kazakhstan for reaping larger benefits through movement of goods, people and services in the region.
Emphasizing the importance of rail, road and air connectivity between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, he said the two countries need to develop these infrastructures to enhance trade, investment and tourism.
Ayaz Sadiq called for establishing a Pak-Kazakh joint working group for collaboration in energy, mineral resources and gemstone sectors to make most of these natural reserves.
Underscoring the need for increasing the volume of bilateral trade, the Minister proposed developing plan of action to remove trade barriers, organize exhibitions and strengthen business to business linkages between the two countries. Ayaz Sadiq said we look forward to early finalization and signing of agreements and MoUs between the two countries for enhancing cooperation in transit trade, tourism, cotton industry, agriculture, education and technology sector.
Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Deputy Prime Minister Kazakhstan, H.E Serik Zhumangarin witness different MoUs on the sidelins of 11th Session of Pakistan-Kazakhstan
The minister said, Pakistan and Kazakhstan enjoy good cordial relations that would be further strengthened through this forum, which was established back in 1993.
He said, IJC resulted in enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields including trade, investment, cultural exchange and tourism. He expressed the hope that IJC would provide a solid base to consolidate relations to move forward for capitalization of economic opportunities available including investment, and trade to benefit people.
He said, business and investment in Pakistan have improved and various agreements with Kazakhstan would further help enhance it. He said, the promotion of tourism and culture was also a priority of the Pakistan government as Pakistan was a beautiful place with huge diversity, having 5 out of 14 highest peaks of over 8000 meters. He invited Kazakhstan in the tourism sector.
He also underlined the need for cooperation in agriculture research as the economy of both countries has a dependence on agriculture. He said cooperation could be enhanced for value addition, processing and joint ventures. He said cooperation could also be enhanced in the higher education sector by the exchange of faculty and students besides the signing of agreements between various universities.
Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Deputy Prime Minister Kazakhstan, H.E Serik Zhumangarin witness different MoUs on the sidelins of 11th Session of Pakistan-Kazakhstan
He said, Pakistan attaches importance to a peaceful environment in the neighborhood and invited Kazakhstan to be part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and benefit from it. He said, there was also a need to have connectivity through rail, road, and air besides cooperating in tapping the potential of natural resources and precious metals. = DNA
