Terrorism is one of the major threats that the int’l community continues to face: Bilawal
TASHKENT, July 29 (SABAH): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stressed the need for enhancing connectivity among the SCO member countries through building rail, road, sea and air links for realization of the shared vision.
Addressing the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tashkent, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said within the SCO space, shared goals for shared prosperity should be our guiding principle.
The Foreign Minister said growth and prosperity of SCO region is also dependent on critical drivers such as e-commerce, digitalization of businesses, innovation, and security of international supply chains.
He said Pakistan is actively working on the Trans-Afghan Railway project with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor already serves as a pivotal platform to help promote connectivity and regional prosperity.
He said Pakistan’s policy is focused on empowering the youth, women and SMEs to benefit from digitalization and to provide economic opportunities to over 130 million youth in the country.
Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister said what happens in the war torn country is important for each of us as neighbors, friends and brothers to the Afghan people. Bilawal Bhutto said we acknowledge the steps taken to improve the security environment and fight the terrorist threat from Daesh. Bilalwal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan has extended humanitarian relief assistance to Afghanistan and continues to open up avenues for more trade, transit trade, cross-border facilitation, and connectivity. He said Pakistan will remain strongly committed to a peaceful, stable, sovereign, prosperous and connected Afghanistan and work with international partners to advance the shared objectives. He said terrorism is one of the major threats that the international community continues to face.
The Foreign Minister said our valiant people, armed forces, and law enforcement personnel have made tremendous sacrifices in Pakistan’s determined fight to eliminate this scourge.
Bilawal Bhutto said that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state-terrorism perpetrated against people living under foreign occupation in disputed territories.
“As the phenomenon of terrorism continues to evolve, the growing levels of intolerance, emergence of extremist and hegemonic ideologies, and Islamophobic impulses, have imparted a different level of lethality to this threat” he said. Bilawal Bhutto said that we believe the world community can ignore these manifestations only at its own peril.
“Our collective resolve to fight the evils of terrorism and extremism must, therefore, be continuously fortified, and our strategies accordingly adjusted” he said.
He said that the new and emerging challenges beacon us to collaborate in new ways and cooperate in new spheres of activity.
He said that the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the imperative of collective action – because the health and well-being of one is connected to the well-being of another. Within the SCO space, “shared goals for shared prosperity” should be our guiding principle, he said.
He said that the pandemic has brought in its wake, reduction in trade flows; decline in production; and growing unemployment and rising inflation — thus negatively impacting the development momentum of SCO member states.
He said that in the recovery phase, focus should be on creating an economic model that is more resilient to turbulences, strengthens healthcare and social protection systems, and leverages the power of new technologies and innovation to maximize outreach and impact.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the growth and prosperity of SCO region is also dependent on critical drivers such as e-commerce, digitalization of businesses, innovation, and security of international supply chains.
He said that the proposed Joint Statement on Sustainable Security and Stability of International Production and Supply Chains is thus a timely initiative that we support. He said that the Report on the Implementation of the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation of SCO Member States had identified the tariff and non-tariff barriers posing an obstacle to enhanced trade and economic linkages.
It also called for deepening interactions between the business communities through the SCO business council, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said. To advance this objective, Pakistan will be hosting an interaction between SCO businessmen and entrepreneurs by end 2022, he said.
He said that SCO region also faces an urgent need for a development funding mechanism. Similarly, it is important to explore modalities for increasing the use of national currencies, he said.
He said that the roadmap for a stage-wise development of national systems aimed at the use of national currencies is, therefore, an important initiative that we hope would lead to enhancing intra-SCO trade.
He said that enhancing connectivity through building rail, road, sea and air links remains critical for the realization of our shared vision. In this context, we support the proposed “Strategy for Developing Connectivity and Creating Efficient Transport Corridors.”
He said that Pakistan is actively working on the Trans-Afghan Railway (TAR) project with our brothers in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. It will provide a crucial link from Central Asia to the seaports in Pakistan, providing a natural trans-shipment link to the SCO region, he said.
“We are keen to develop mutually beneficial arrangements for the SCO countries in the area of trans-shipment, warehousing, multimodal transportation and so on” Bilawal Bhutto said.
He said that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of BRI, already serves as a pivotal platform to help promote connectivity and regional prosperity. He said that Pakistan will also be hosting a virtual Conference on “Transport Connectivity for Regional Prosperity” later this year.
Bilawal Bhutto said that the digital revolution is fundamentally reshaping the global economy. In Pakistan, it has been our endeavor to build the foundation for a strong e-commerce ecosystem, he said. This includes a sound regulatory environment, financial inclusion, and digitization through payment infrastructure, he said.
“Our policy is focused on empowering our youth, women and SMEs to benefit from digitalization and to provide economic opportunities to over 130 million youth in Pakistan” Bilawal Bhutto said. Towards this objective, Pakistan will be hosting the conference on “Youth Empowerment through Digital Economy” later this year, he said.
He said that ensuring food security in the face of severe climatic changes as well as volatility caused by conflicts is of critical importance for us all. He said that the recent proposals to train farmers; exchange of technology and exhibitions are important initiatives to strengthen the capacity of our growers and farmers. We look forward to early action and fruitful cooperation in this regard.
He said that expansion of SCO membership is a testimony to its growing importance and significance in the global multilateral architecture. “We welcome new Dialogue Partners Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt and look forward to brotherly Iran taking its place soon as full member” he said. We also welcome the UAE’s desire to join the SCO family, he said.
Bilawal Bhutto said that Pakistan also supports the applications of Bahrain and Maldives as new Dialogue Partners and Azerbaijan and Armenia as new Observers. “We also support, in principle, the applications of Belarus as a full member; Nepal and Cambodia as Observers; and Myanmar and Syria as Dialogue Partners” he said.
“As we move into the third decade of our Organization, it is of utmost importance to re-calibrate, reform, strengthen and streamline our working methods and mechanisms; making them leaner, more efficient, and more effective” he said. In this context, we welcome recent proposals from the Russian Federation as well as the Secretary General, he said.
Bilawal Bhutto reiterated that Pakistan will always be a strong partner in all of SCO’s endeavors aimed at promoting collective good.
Meanwhile Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a bilateral meeting with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin on the sidelines of the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO-CFM) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to further enhance bilateral trade, promote regional connectivity, and strengthen people-to-people links between the two countries. He laid emphasis on reinvigorating bilateral economic relations by boosting trade and investment through cooperation in diverse areas and frequent exchange of business delegations.
The Foreign Minister appreciated the close cooperation between the two countries at the multilateral fora including at SCO and exchanged views on situation in Afghanistan. He underlined Pakistan’s efforts for relief efforts and lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and underscored the need for urgent international humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people. He reiterated Pakistan’s support for a peaceful, united, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
The Foreign Minister also underscored the importance of road and energy connectivity for regional prosperity and stressed the need for completion of CASA-1000 power transmission project in this context. The two sides agreed to continue to remain in contact.
Meanwhile Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Norov Vladimir Imamovich of Uzbekistan on Friday, on the sidelines of SCO-CFM being held at Tashkent.
The two sides exchanged views on deepening bilateral cooperation in a range of areas including political, trade, economic, security, defence, and connectivity.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed satisfaction at the level of bilateral contacts in the last few years and stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum through consolidating the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Uzbekistan. He underscored the urgent need to operationalize Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) and Preferential Trade Agreement for boosting trade and transit between the two countries.
The Foreign Minister underlined the importance of direct air connectivity to enhance business and people-to-people links. He also appreciated progress on joint media production on the common heritage and life of Mughal Emperor Zaheer-ud-din Babur.
The Foreign Minister re-affirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to timely completion of Trans-Afghan railway project and expressed pleasure at commencement of joint field expedition in Afghanistan in this context. He urged the need to fully utilize the potential of Pakistan’s seaports of Gwadar and Karachi by advancing the connectivity agenda.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction on the existing cooperation at regional and international fora, particularly at the UN, OIC, ECO and SCO. Uzbekistan is currently the chairman of ECO and SCO for the year 2022.
Speaking on regional and international issues, the Foreign Minister reiterated Pakistan’s continued support for sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan and its benefits for the region and beyond.
Meanwhile Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Republic Jeenbek Kulubaev Moldokanovich on the sidelines of the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO-CFM) in Tashkent on Friday. He felicitated his counterpart on the 30th Anniversary of establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations.
The Foreign Minister underscored close cooperation between the two countries at bilateral and multilateral fora including at SCO, which demonstrated the commonality of views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
The Foreign Minister underlined the importance of regular convening of formal mechanisms, between the two countries, in particular Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) and Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC). He also emphasized the importance of renewed focus on the important road and energy connectivity projects such as CASA-1000 and Quadrilateral Agreement on Traffic-in-Transit (QATT).