DUSHANBE  - President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said Pakistan, having excellent political relations with Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran and other nations of the region, was working strenuously to further increase its economic relations, tourism and people-to-people contacts.
“Our revised transit trade agreement with Afghanistan is functional since last year and we would like to extend it to Central Asian countries,” the president said while speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA-V).
President Zardari termed forum an important and excellent opportunity for the businessmen of participating countries to come together and contemplate measures for further enhancing regional economic relations.
He described South-South cooperation as ‘need of the hour’ and said such cooperation should be further strengthened for mutual benefit, adding, this can be bolstered by their partners in the developed world.
“We should pool our resources to work collectively for the socio-economic uplift of our people. The campaign against poverty and deprivation is our common objective,” the president stressed.
“We, who are part of this region, know best our challenges and opportunities. We firmly believe that regional issues need to be resolved through regional solutions,” he remarked, adding, “Therefore, we look forward to intensified cooperation with our friends in the region.”
The president said Pakistan had joint chambers of commerce and business forums with various countries of the region, adding, Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum met regularly every year and had taken a number of measures for strengthening bilateral commercial relations.
“I wish this forum great success and hope that such interactions will lead to further strengthening of our economic relations,” he added.
Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to Afghan peace, development and prosperity, President Zardari called for trans-border cooperation, which he said would not only transform the economic landscape of the South and Central Asian region, but would also be an effective bulwark against extremism and militancy.
“We believe that the crusade against poverty and deprivation must be waged in tandem with the war against terrorism. Pakistan’s consistent position is that more than military might, it is a battle for hearts and minds,” he maintained.
This conference will consider proposals and projects aimed at boosting regional cooperation with Afghanistan, with particular emphasis on socio-economic development and infrastructure development.
Zardari said Pakistan firmly believed that an economically strong and politically stable Afghanistan would be a catalyst for peace and prosperity in the region, adding, on the other hand, regional cooperation that optimises Afghanistan’s strategic location would be a vital ingredient for the country’s development.
“For Pakistan, Afghanistan has always held great significance,” he said and mentioned that the present democratically elected government had brought about a fundamental transformation in relations with Afghanistan.
“The two countries are now involved in multi-track engagement. Through intensive interaction we are developing deeper trust and greater understanding,” he added.
The president said the presence of Pakistan, Iran and Tajikistan as well as others in the conference reflected the collective commitment of each one to Afghanistan’s development.
“My presence specially demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to Afghan peace, development and prosperity and Pakistan’s strong belief that Afghanistan and Pakistan’s destinies are interlinked inextricably,” he stressed.
The president said, “When I support development for Afghanistan, I am in essence supporting development for Pakistan.”
He mentioned that he always raised the drug issue in Afghanistan at international fora, and urged the world to help the country address it.
He said the Declaration on Future Directions of Bilateral Cooperation signed by Pakistan and Afghanistan envisaged a future partnership in a regional context.
“From our pledged amount of over $ 300 million, we have undertaken a number of reconstruction projects in the fields of education, healthcare and infrastructure in different parts of Afghanistan,” he mentioned.
In addition, president Zardari said, Pakistan had one of the largest scholarship programmes for Afghan students, adding, Pakistan was providing 2,000 fully funded graduate and post-graduate scholarships to Afghan students in its institutions of higher studies.
“Moreover, today over 7,000 Afghan students are enrolled in Pakistan’s colleges and universities. This represents about 60 per cent of all Afghans studying in institutions of higher education abroad. In addition, about half a million Afghan refugee children attend schools in Pakistan,” he added.
In case of health, the president said, over 90 per cent of Afghans who sought medical treatment abroad visited Pakistan. Most of the Afghan patients opted for free treatment at government or philanthropic healthcare facilities, he added.
The president appreciated the earlier RECCA meetings for having done a commendable job in dilating a strategy, adding, however that as highlighted by these conferences, there was a need for more focused, incremental steps towards trans-regional development.
He said, “As the near and extended neighbours come together for RECCA for the fifth time, in my mind the real opportunity that RECCA offers is in the realm of regional infrastructure and connectivity.”
“We have tremendous scope for cooperation in several areas including energy, transport, industry, mining, livestock, education, agriculture and environment,” he added.
The president said, “Our private sectors can also play a crucial role in regional development programme and joint ventures. We just need to provide them with an opportunity.”
In the context of energy cooperation, President Zardari reiterated that regional projects such as Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) and Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline projects as well as Central Asia South Asia (CASA-1000) electricity transmission line were crucial and required regional and international support.
The Tajik president called for the need to ease visa processing for traders to boost economic activity in the region.
The Afghan President instead urged for visa-free regime for traders to enhance business ties among the regional countries.
Later, President Zardari took round of the stalls set up by the businessmen of the three countries.