During the government meeting on Friday (26 July), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister R. Meredov reported on the results of his working visit to Pakistan.
It was reported that the delegation of Turkmenistan was received by President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. During the meeting, issues of developing interstate cooperation in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres were discussed.
Key areas of Turkmen-Pakistani cooperation were discussed during negotiations with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. At the same time, emphasis was placed on the implementation of large–scale joint projects – the construction of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, transmission lines and fiber–optic communications along the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route.
During the visit, bilateral political consultations at the level of foreign ministers were also held. It was stated that Turkmenistan and Pakistan are constructively cooperating on the platforms of international and regional organizations, providing mutual support for the initiatives and proposals. In this context, the issue of joining efforts to implement Turkmenistan’s initiative to prepare a Global Security Strategy was discussed. An agreement was also reached on joint work to further strengthen partnership in the format of the UN, OIC, ECO and other reputable organizations.
During the consultations, an exchange of views took place on topical aspects of the international and regional agenda.
In addition, a meeting of the co-chairs of the joint Turkmen-Pakistani intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation was held, during which a number of proposals were voiced to improve the effectiveness of its activities.
Negotiations between the delegation of Turkmenistan and the Federal Minister for Petroleum were also organized during the visit. The sides exchanged views on the development of partnership in the fuel and energy sector. Special attention was paid to the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline construction project. In this regard, an agreement has been reached to hold relevant negotiations in the near future. The issues of supplies of liquefied gas, oil and gas chemical products from Turkmenistan to Pakistan were also considered.
At the request of the Government of Pakistan, the delegation of Turkmenistan held meetings with the leadership of the Frontier Works Organization and the National Logistics Corporation.
[Frontier Works Organization is one of the largest infrastructure development companies in Pakistan, specializing in various fields of civil engineering since 1966.
National Logistics Corporation (NLC) is a leading company in the field of multimodal logistics in Pakistan.]
During the meeting, the possibilities of establishing and expanding cooperation in the areas in which these companies specialize were discussed.
In particular, National Logistics Corporation expressed its readiness to cooperate with the Turkmen side on China–Pakistan–Afghanistan–Turkmenistan road transport and further to the countries of Central Asia and the Caspian region.
Meredov presented a number of proposals prepared following the negotiations and in order to further develop cooperation with Pakistan, where visits and negotiations at the highest state and government levels are given an important role. This includes:
• Adoption of a medium-term program to enhance bilateral trade and economic relations
• Holding meetings of the joint Intergovernmental Commission at least twice a year with participation of the business community, scientific institutions and other interested structures
• Creation of a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of decisions.
• Intensification of cooperation in the energy sector, in particular in the gas industry.
• Exploring opportunities to send Turkmen diplomats to courses organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Pakistan
• Opening of the Urdu Language department at the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages.
Summarizing the report, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stated the growing dynamics of Turkmen-Pakistani relations. Stressing that negotiations on the development of bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres will further strengthen the traditional interstate dialogue, the Head of Turkmenistan approved the proposals.
