'Pakistan's Relations with Central Asian Republics (CARs) and Azerbaijan: Prospects and Challenges' was organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan, CARs and Azerbaijan.
Janjua made special reference to the success of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) summit held in Islamabad in March 2017, where the "Islamabad Declaration" was adopted unanimously as a dynamic concept. With reference to the energy shortfall in Pakistan, she thanked the CARs for their increased cooperation in this sector.
She went on to highlight the special efforts being made for regional connectivity including a number of time bound mega projects, which are already in the implementation stage. She stressed that an integrated region leads to an environment where diversities can be channelled into collective strength.
Acting Director General ISSI Najam Rafique in his welcome remarks highlighted common historical and cultural linkages among Pakistan and Central Asian Republics and Azerbaijan. He stressed the need to improve these relations further in energy, social and economic domains. He said that much depends on the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan that has been plagued by thirty-seven years of war. He also said that it is essential that all countries work together to find a regional solution to this problem along with international partners.
Ali Alizada, Ambassador of Azerbaijan, talked about the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, calling them time-tested. He acknowledged that Pakistan was one of the first countries that recognised the independence of Azerbaijan and condemned the Armenian aggression. Simultaneously, he reiterated Azerbaijan's support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan Erik Beishembiev gave a brief overview of Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan relations. He said that though the full bilateral trade potential has not yet been reached, there is a noticeable revival in the regional cooperation between the two countries as evidenced by the active participation in this year's ECO Summit. He went on to say that Kyrgyzstan has no disagreements with Pakistan on any forum.
Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov spoke about the Pakistan-Turkmenistan relations. He said the both countries have always maintained active diplomatic relations and have established a strong relationship in a vast number of arenas such as education, health and energy. He highlighted the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and called it a striking example of long-term regional cooperation, which will take trade and economic cooperation to new heights.
Ambassador of Uzbekistan Furqat A Sadikov briefed the audience about Uzbekistan-Pakistan relations. He highlighted the strong cultural and historical ties in this regard. He particularly highlighted the cooperation in the field of agricultural and recognised Pakistan as the main strategic partner in the region and acknowledged Pakistan's role in fighting terrorism.
Director Area Study Centre Peshawar University Dr Sarfaraz discussed the trade relations between Pakistan and the CARs. He also highlighted bilateral visits and covered in-detail Kazakhstan's role in the international affairs. He hoped that diplomatic relations with Pakistan should continue to growing in the new areas which were not covered already. He suggested that to further improve relations, a proper agenda and roadmap should be devised in the near future.
Representative of the Ambassador of Kazakhstan Darkhan Nursadykov said that with the support of Pakistan, Kazakhstan has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2017-2018. He took the opportunity to congratulate Pakistan on reaching the final stage of becoming a full Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member, and hoped that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would expand to include the CARs, particularly Kazakhstan.
President IPDS Farhat Asif in her concluding remarks stated that people-to-people contacts can help strengthen the already strong relationship. She said that challenges are there but an active collaboration and cooperation can help overcome all these challenges as this relationship is not twenty-five years old but is centuries old.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017