In These New Times

PakTribune 

16th June, 2011

Addressing the SCO summit on its 10th anniversary in the capital of Kazakhstan, President Zardari said Pakistan would work with the member states of the SCO to maintain regional peace, spread shared prosperity and defeat terrorism. “Pakistan looks forward to working together with SCO countries for achieving shared prosperity and peace,” he said, adding that Pakistan had rendered great sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and militancy, which posed a common threat to the region.

President Zardari, who was accompanied by Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, said, “Pakistan is committed to combating terrorism, extremism and separatism. Similarly, drug trafficking and production is not only harming our people but also fuelling militancy and terrorism. These are serious threats to the security and well-being of our societies and Pakistan looks forward to enhancing its cooperation with the SCO to eliminate these menaces from the region,î he added.

He praised the SCO for making significant contributions towards peace and development of the region in the last decade. “Pakistan is delighted to associate itself fully with the ideals, values and purposes of the SCO. We share the SCO’s vision for the future. We uphold its objectives of regional peace and development.”

Zardari said Pakistan wished to participate in SCO’s initiatives in promoting regional and trans-regional connectivity and trade. “We wish to cooperate with countries in the region in financial and banking sectors and for joint ventures in energy, infrastructure, education, scientific and technological development programmes.”

President Zardari said Pakistan belonged to the SCO region. “We share with its peoples, centuries of common history. Apart from our geographical location, the geo-economic realities also encourage Pakistan to join the SCO as a full member. We, therefore, take pride in the remarkable achievements of the SCO over the last 10 years. Our destinies are interlinked,î he said.

The president expressed his pleasure that Afghanistan had decided to seek observer status with the SCO. “This indeed is a welcome development. President Karzai paid an important visit to Islamabad recently and we had excellent discussions on the way forward.”

In their speeches at the summit, SCO leaders pledged to continue efforts for keeping their region safe and secure and making their countries more prosperous through joint efforts.

Meanwhile, President Zardari met his Iranian, Tajik and Kazakh counterparts at the sidelines of the SCO summit. President Zardari and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed their determination to continue close collaboration to further regional peace and stability.

The two leaders held fruitful discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern. They said in the spirit of good brotherly and neighbourly relations, Pakistan and Iran would explore new opportunities for economic cooperation. They said both countries would work together to ensure each other’s security and stability.

President Zardari underlined the need for expanding bilateral trade and commercial ties and said both countries needed to facilitate their businessmen in taking advantage of existing opportunities.

Both the leaders also agreed to maintain frequent contacts at the highest level to increase mutual trust and have a better understanding of each other’s points of view.

In the meeting between President Zardari and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, both leaders agreed to expand economic ties by expediting work on current development projects jointly undertaken by the two countries. They pledged to intensity joint efforts to increase the volume of trade between the two countries.

Sharing views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, they discussed the prospects of starting more projects in energy, banking, transportation and communication sectors.

Online adds: In a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on the sidelines of SCO summit, President Zardari urged that Kazakhstanís investors should avail the lucrative incentives offered by Pakistan.

The two leaders held discussions on matters of international, regional and bilateral issues. They agreed on the need to increase collaboration to meet the challenges of security, expand their economies and increase trade in the region. Zardari said Pakistan’s participation in SCO as full member would help it play a more active role in regional affairs.

Later talking to journalists after meeting his Kazakh counterpart, President Zardari said, “Pakistan looks forward to Kazakhstan to contribute in making this region peaceful through enhanced cooperation in regional development and connectivity”. The president also mentioned the importance of Pakistani ports that could provide connectivity to the Central Asian States, including Kazakhstan.