National Assembly Speaker, Asad Qaiser, on Tuesday, hoped for the vibrant inter-parliamentary connections between Pakistan and Turkmenistan to translate well into bilateral cooperation. He said this during a meeting with Turkmenistan’s Ambassador, Atadjan Movlamov, held at Parliament House.
He stressed upon the need for robust ties between the two countries, further adding that Pakistan considered Turkmenistan strategically important for regional cooperation. Pak
Pak-Turkmenistan relations were rooted in a mutual perspective on regional challenges along with strong cultural affinities and, thus, should be taken to new heights, he added.
The speaker iterated Pakistan’s commitment to cementing trade and economic relations with Turkmenistan. He then hailed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Pipeline as a crucial milestone to forge a greater integration between the South Asian and Central Asian nations.
Speaker Qaiser called TAPI pipeline crucial to connect South Asia, Central Asia
The envoy was told how Pakistan confidently counted on his country’s cooperation in restraining Pakistan’s energy dip. With reference to completing the TAPI gas pipeline project, Speaker Qaiser believed that the stable future of the region depended upon a peaceful resolution of Afghanistan conflict while hoping for the members to complete the project before its deadline. The TAPI project could be dovetailed with CPEC, he suggested, while adding that the parliaments of both countries could also play a proactive role in this regard.
Pakistan highly valued its relationship with Turkmenistan, built upon a mutual brotherhood, same culture and language he maintained. This brotherhood was deemed necessary for both regional and world peace.
Ambassador Movlamov also said that the Pak-Turkmenistan ties were based on strategic interests, further adding that the people of Turkmenistan could not forget that they were first accepted by Pakistan, after gaining independence in 1991. With reference to the TAPI gas pipeline, the envoy mentioned that it would not only be a project to supply gas but would also consist of roads, train and power transmission line. Turkmenistan believed to further enhance its mutual cooperation, he added, while announcing plans of the Turkmen Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan soon.
Published in Daily Times, February 27th 2019.