DNA
\nNEW YORK
\nThe UN General Assembly has adopted a Pakistan co-sponsored resolution on Strengthening Connectivity between Central and South Asia.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, Pakistan\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said regional connectivity in road, rail, energy, trade, ports and shipping is a vital accelerator for faster economic production, growth and prosperity.
\n\u201cRegional connectivity \u2013 in the road, rail, energy, trade, ports and shipping \u2013 is a vital accelerator for faster economic production, growth and prosperity,\u201d Ambassador Munir Akram told the 193-member Assembly.
\nThe resolution was proposed by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It seeks to improve the capacities of the stakeholders in the countries of South and Central Asia, especially in the landlocked and least developed countries to strengthen their links with the sub-regional and regional transport and trade networks.
\n\u201cRegional connectivity and cooperation can also contribute to building and sustaining peace, stability and security,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said. For the landlocked Central Asian states, Pakistan can serve as a gateway not only to South Asia but to global markets, Ambassador Akram said, while underlining the deepening relationship between them.
\nIn this regard, he said that Pakistan and Central Asian states have concluded several multilateral and bilateral trade agreements, including the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Trade agreement.
\nAt the same time, Ambassador Akram said that the greatest challenge to connectivity is the tensions between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir dispute. \u2018This festering dispute must be resolved in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.\u201d
\nPakistan, he said, is also working on several specific connectivity projects, including, enhancing energy connectivity through Central Asia-South Asia power project, known as CASA-1000, which would supply surplus electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan; improving transport connectivity through the Termez\u2013Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabuul-Peshawar railway project, which will provide Central Asian states access to deep sea ports in Gwadar and Karachi; and gas connectivity through the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.
\n\u201cThere is also an emerging consensus to extend the CPEC to Afghanistan,\u201d Ambassador Akram said. To that end, he said, a sustained engagement is essential with the de facto Afghan government, especially the forum of its six neighbours plus Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DNA NEW YORK The UN General Assembly has adopted a Pakistan co-sponsored resolution on Strengthening Connectivity between Central and South Asia. Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said regional connectivity in road, rail, energy, trade, ports and shipping is a vital accelerator for faster economic production, growth and prosperity. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-270775","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n