ISLAMABAD: National Security Advisor Lieutenant General (r) Nasser Khan Janjua has said that Pakistan can become a regional trade corridor for Central Asian Republics (CARs) due to cultural and historical commonalities. He was addressing a conference on ‘Pakistan: A Land of Opportunities for Central Asian Republics’, which was organised by the Centre for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS) in Islamabad on Wednesday. He said Pakistan wanted to have deepened relations with Central Asia and the biggest challenge to this connection was that the great power rivalries were being aggravated in the region. “Afghanistan in the future would be used to checkmate the Central Asian Republics.” The conference was aimed at facilitating the exploration of various opportunities and commonalities that could become the foundation for multilateral regional initiatives, which in turn would lead to strong connectivity and diplomatic relations as well as security and economic stability in the region. In his address, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan and Central Asia shared a very common cultural and political history. In the present time the bond with the central Asian countries was becoming stronger. “We are living in the age of connectivity and network. This is an age where we need to explore the opportunity for connectivity and progress. In our region we have a lot of investment prospects and opportunities. In the 21st century, Asia will contribute 52% to GDP of the world. This will create opportunities for global economy for growth and investment.” CGSS Director Dr Khudoberdi Kholiqnazar presented his speech on ‘Building Regional Synergies to Achieve Peace, Security and Development’. He stated that it was important to take into account the interaction of challenges to the development of countries and the challenges of developing regional economic cooperation. “It is important to promote the formation of economic corridors in this regard.” He stated that for the Republic of Tajikistan, security was a priority and it was also important to intensify foreign economic cooperation. Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua presented her speech on ‘Addressing Geo-Political Challenges to Enhance Regional Integration’. She said that the Afghan war had a negative impact on the entire region. “Apart from bringing drugs and weapons, it was fueling extremism and terrorism.” Pakistan, she said, was facing the brunt of instability in Afghanistan. The foreign secretary said Pakistan is a land of opportunity for Central Asia and other adjoining regions. She said a new era of regional integration had begun. Tehmina termed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a hope for the region. Turning to geo-political situation, Tehmina Janjua said emerging multi-polar world was fast becoming a reality. Former Uzbek vice prime minister Ikramov Adkham Ilkhamovich presented his speech on ‘Reconnecting Central Asia with South Asia- A Road Towards Prosperity’. He said that Uzbekistan was one of the top 10 economic reformers and integration into world economy was a priority of Uzbekistan. He said simplification of cross-border trading was crucial to Uzbekistan’s development. He said that Uzbekistan could collaborate with Pakistan in various sectors, including oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceuticals, food, electronic and tourism. All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS) President Sarmad Ali presented his speech on ‘Role of Media in Promoting Regional Harmony’. He stated that the media was a significant pillar for connectivity. “We need a common media corridor,” he said, adding: “Today perception is stronger than reality so we need to counter propaganda and criticism and highlight our own reality and check criticism. We need to highlight the true spirit and image of Belt and Road Initiative.” He said that the formation of a common media corridor could enable regional countries to better understand each other and come closer through exchange programmes. Irina Chernykh, chief research fellow at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, presented her speech on ‘Potential and Prospects of Intra-Industry Trade in the Region’. She said that Intra-industry trade must be promoted in the region to explore untapped potentials of the region. In his speech on ‘Promoting Regional Integration through Socio-Cultural Exchange Opportunities’, National Institute of Strategic Studies (Kyrgyzstan) Deputy Director Baidoletov Nuradil Esenbekovich said, “Kyrgyzstan pays special attention to the sphere of education and we believe that such joint projects will allow our young generation to receive quality education both in the Kyrgyz Republic and in Pakistan.” He said that there was a need for rapid advancement in economic, cultural, and social integration in the 21st century to promote the cultural exchanges for mutual understanding through a regional common project i.e. tourism, which would provide Pakistan and CARs opportunities to interact with each other. Published in Daily Times, March 22nd 2018.