President for early finalization of Transit Trade Agreement with Turkmenistan

Celina Ali

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday called for an early finalization of the Transit Trade Agreement with Turkmenistan to further boost bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The President, talking to the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan Atadjan Movlamov who called on him, said that the agreement, once signed, would help expand trade, promote regional connectivity as well as enhance economic activities in the region. The ambassador congratulated President Zardari on assuming the office of the President for the second time, according to a President House press release.

Both sides expressed the desire for the early completion of the TAPI Gas Pipeline, which would not only support Pakistan’s economy but would also help meet its energy needs. Welcoming the ambassador, the president said that Pakistan attached special value to its bilateral relations with Turkmenistan due to the centuries-old historical, religious and cultural links and wished to increase high-level exchanges to give fresh impetus to bilateral ties. He expressed Pakistan’s desire to work with Turkmenistan to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation.

The president highlighted that the existing volume of trade between the two countries needed to be improved for the mutual benefit of the two countries. President Zardari fondly recalled his visit to Turkmenistan during his first term as the president in 2010 to participate in the TAPI Summit as well as the 4th International Nauroze Festival in 2013. The ambassador of Turkmenistan conveyed the warm greetings of the Turkmen President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and former President Gurbanguly

Berdimuhamedov to President Asif Ali Zardari on his election. He said that the Transit Trade Agreement was not only important for both friendly countries but also for the region as it would generate huge transit trade activities. The president expressed warm wishes for the leadership of Turkmenistan and thanked them for their felicitation message on his election.