Stability in Afghanistan is critical for peace in the entire region and for linking Central Asia closely with the South Asia

Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday said that stability in Afghanistan was critical for peace in the entire region and for linking Central Asia closely with the South Asia. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyayev who held detailed discussions on wide ranging issues here at the International Business Centre said Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan must work closely to forge stronger economic ties. The two leaders also discussed regional and international situation, with particular focus on the situation in Afghanistan. They pointed that a strong and stable Afghanistan was vital for peace in the region and can lead to provision of "safe and reliable" transport, energy and trade linkage for the mutual benefit of the people of the region. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the changes in the region necessitate closer cooperation amongst the regional countries. He said Pakistan was working to have a safe and reliable road network with the Central Asian Republics and was looking at alternative routes for linking with these countries. Both the leaders pointed they have complete unanimity of views on major regional and international issues besides "shared interest" on fighting the scourge of extremism and terrorism. The Uzbek Prime Minister said his country considers Pakistan an important partner in South Asia and desires close links in all areas. He apprised him about his country's robust economic growth and development in industrial and energy sectors. The two sides also agreed on taking concrete measures to further strengthen their economic relations with focus on trade, transport and energy, besides collaboration on security matters. The two countries also signed agreements on transit trade and transportation, assistance in criminal and legal matters, MoU for cooperation between the International Islamic University and the University of Tashkent and another for cooperation between the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce. Pakistan and Uzbekistan also agreed to explore new avenues of cooperation in Science and Technology, education and banking, besides collaboration in, cotton and textiles, sugar and agriculture sectors and pointed that their strong diplomatic and political relations need to be translated into deeper economic interaction. During the talks the Prime Minister said Pakistan can extend cooperation in infrastructure development and provision of engineering services. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday said Pakistan and Uzbekistan together can transform the economic landscape of the entire region by forging closer links in key areas of transport, trade, energy, investment and banking and finance. Addressing the Uzbekistan-Pakistan Business Forum here at the International Business Centre, the Prime Minister said the goals that the two countries have set were achievable, however pointed that both have a long way to go. The forum was also addressed by the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev who mentioned his country's economic achievements and the benefit the two states can have by forging closer economic cooperation. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan and Uzbekistan had made encouraging progress in realizing the goal of establishing functional transport corridors and institutionalizing business linkages. "Our trade volume remains far from satisfactory and challenges such as the insurgency in Afghanistan have yet to be effectively tackled," he added. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday said Pakistan was focusing on the road and transportation sectors to build linkages with the regional countries as it could boost trade and economic activity for the mutual benefit of all. Addressing a gathering of Pakistani community here the Prime Minister said an improved intra regional network of roads will benefit and bring economic dividends for all. He said Pakistan offers a short route for imports and exports of goods through Gwadar. He said with improvement of road conditions in Afghanistan, transportation will improve and more trade opportunities can be explored. He mentioned the quadrilateral transportation arrangement with China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and said Uzbekistan can be added for the mutual benefit of both the countries. Aziz said the current volume of trade between the two countries was very small and there was scope for increasing it manifold. He said Pakistan was keen to open up a branch of National Bank to facilitate the business community. The Prime Minister urged the Pakistani community based in Uzbekistan to build linkages through closer cooperation with their Uzbek counterparts.