Ambassadors of four Central Asian countries – Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan – have a detailed meeting with business community to discuss ways and means to further improve the mutual trade relations during their visit to Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), here on Friday. “It is a historic moment when Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan Ulanbek Totuiaev, Ambassador of Azerbaijan Khazar Farhadov and Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafin have visited Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry together,” said LCCI President Kashif Anwar who warmly welcomed the envoys and presented the address of welcome. The Ambassadors and LCCI President Kashif Anwar also inaugurated Business Kiosk established by four countries at LCCI which will give a new boost to trade. LCCI Senior Vice President Zafar Mahmood Chaudhry, Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan Rao Khalid M. Khan and Rizwan Fareed also spoke on the occasion while Executive Committee Members were also present. LCCI President Kashif Anwar emphasized to explore trade potential between Pakistan and Central Asian Countries and also addressing the bottlenecks which are causing constraints to trade promotion. Ambassador of Turkmenistan Mr. Atadjan Movlamov said that Pakistan and Central Asian Republics need to know each other more because “we have huge potential”. He said that Turkmenistan is the richest country in the world in term of natural resources with seven million population. He said, “Our foreign policy is natural and we believe in promoting peace. With Pakistan, the trade can be done in various areas like Pakistan export rice, sugar, vehicles, motorbikes, auto parts which have a huge demand in Turkmenistan and can import LPG, petroleum products and it can be done both government level and private sector. With this kind of approach, we can find solution of challenges and for economic development.” LCCI President Kashif Anwar said that Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry is emphasizing on exploiting the tremendous potential of trade in ASEAN, Africa Continent and especially in Central Asian Countries. “We believe that Pakistan and Central Asian Countries have significant potential for trade and economic cooperation, driven by their strategic geographical positions and complementary economic strengths. The most promising area is energy, as Central Asian Countries are rich in oil, natural gas, and hydropower resources, while Pakistan faces the issue of high cost of energy,” the LCCI President added. Kashif Anwar said that agriculture and textile sectors offer mutual benefits, as Central Asian Countries can supply raw materials to Pakistan’s textile industry, while Pakistan’s agricultural and value added textile products can find new markets in Central Asia. Other key sectors such as information technology, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, sports goods and tourism etc., present great opportunities for making collaboration, promoting economic ties and improving regional stability. Ambassador of Azerbaijan Mr. Khazar Farhadov agreed with the proposals of Mr. Atadjan Movlamov and said that the Ambassadors coming together is symbolic to show that “we are all in same position for connectivity, trade, mutual relations and to reach Pakistan”. He said that Azerbaijan offers huge investment opportunities including the Karabakh region. He said that economic zones of Azerbaijan are offering incentives for investors. “We can also discuss business of tourism potential as Azerbaijan is the most wanted tourism destination for Pakistan in recent years,” he added. He said that he brought few publications to be displayed at Kiosk which include information of goods, trade items to be consulted for trade in Azerbaijan. It also has a legal hand book of how to do business in Azerbaijan. He said that Azerbaijan and Pakistan have reached good enough frequency of direct flights where two direct flights from Karachi and Lahore a week are already operational and “we are receiving demands to increase flights”. He urged PIA to come on this route. He said that the governments of both the countries are working on PTA and Transit Trade Agreement. Pakistani rice is already exempted from import duty in Azerbaijan. He emphasized on the need of increasing and diversifying connectivity and said that “we can achieve a lot from connectivity”. Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan Mr. Ulanbek Totuiaev said that last year, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan trade volume was US $ 20 million and in the first three months of this year, “we have already achieved US $ 7 million trade milestone and at the end of the year, we are expecting bilateral trade to reach US $ 50 million”. He said that there also direct flights from Islamabad and Lahore to Bishkek. He said that Kyrgyzstan also hosts 10,000 Pakistani students. “In May, unfortunate experiences were caused by misunderstanding and because of fake news disseminated through the media and social media in both the countries,” the Ambassador regretted. He said that Kyrgyzstan is a member of EuroAsian Economic Forum. He said that in May, 100 Pakistan businessmen came to Kyrgyzstan on business visit and 20 pharmaceutical companies are already exporting their products to Kyrgyzstan. He said, “We are organizing Kyrgyzstan Pakistan exhibition in September in Bishkek,” and he invited businessmen to join. Ambassador of Kazakhstan Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin emphasized the need of regional collaboration and said that it can only be achieved through regional connectivity. He said that by developing connectivity, Kazakistan has delivered goods to Dubai via Pakistan. He said that Central Asian Countries can use Pakistani sea ports and Karakorum Highway to deliver goods to Africa, Middle East and other countries. He said that Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit is being held in Kazakistan this year. He said, “Last month we met Chief Minister Punjab and agreed on cooperation between Punjab and Kazakhstan and will sign a twin city agreement between Lahore and Shymkent.” He said, “We have already established banking channels for transaction and this year, Pakistan’s Kinno is already being exported to Kazakhstan and we are working to import Mango from Multan region. We have already agreements signed with NLC and TCS for the delivery of goods.” He emphasized on the need of cooperation between CAR countries in Pakistan same like EU. President LCCI Kashif Anwar said that the global trade of Central Asian Countries is around 227 billion dollars with overall exports more than 115 billion dollars and total imports around 112 billion dollars. It is quite concerning that Pakistan’s share in total trade of Central Asian Countries is just 260 million dollars with exports nearly 225 million dollars and imports roughly 35 million dollars. He said that Pakistani business community is well aware of this fact that there are enormous market opportunities available in Central Asia for Pakistani products and services. “We are required to identify some sectors of economy for cooperation through some dedicated efforts done by our own embassies in Central Asian Countries. That can contribute to a great extent in capturing sizeable share in Central Asian markets,” he added. The LCCI President added, “We need to think out-of-the-box and engage the representatives of private sectors from our countries who make some concerted efforts coupled with some assistance provided by the respective embassies of Central Asian Countries.” Kashif Anwar said that in today?s complex world where things are so interdependent that one has to perform certain functions in addition to its primary role. Private sector representatives either independently or through trade bodies like chamber of commerce etc., do interact with each other via exchange of business delegations, at international fairs & exhibitions, on business conferences and many more such platforms. But the specific role of embassies cannot be ignored at all in this connection. With the help of influence and unique importance of embassies, things can be turned towards a certain direction for ensuring mutual benefits, he added. “If we start making efforts on two-point agenda i.e. improving banking channels and increasing the frequency of direct flights then we can bring substantial change in the present trade and economic relation among us,” he added. The LCCI President said inauguration of the Business Kiosk is a significant milestone in their mutual journey towards enhanced economic collaboration. “We deeply appreciate the valuable printed materials you have brought, which will undoubtedly enrich this Kiosk. Hopefully, this initiative will play a crucial role in apprising our members about the abundant business opportunities available in the Central Asian Republics. We look forward to exploiting the numerous possibilities that lie ahead and are committed to working together to achieve our shared goals,” he added.