Zardari urges quick trade deal with Turkmenistan | The Express Tribune

President Asif Ali Zardari called for an early finalisation of the Transit Trade Agreement with Turkmenistan to further boost bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries. During a meeting with the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan, Atadjan Movlamov, President Zardari highlighted that the agreement, once signed, would help expand trade, promote regional connectivity, and enhance economic activities in the region. According to a press release from the President House, the ambassador congratulated President Zardari on assuming the office of the president for the second time.

Both sides expressed the desire for the early completion of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline, which would not only support Pakistan’s economy but also help meet its energy needs. Welcoming the ambassador, the president stated that Pakistan attached special value to its bilateral relations with Turkmenistan due to the centuries-old historical, religious, and cultural links. He expressed Pakistan’s desire to work with Turkmenistan to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation.

Read Pakistan, Turkmenistan ink JIP for TAPI

The president highlighted that the existing volume of trade between the two countries needed improvement for the mutual benefit of both nations.

President Zardari fondly recalled his visit to Turkmenistan during his first term as president in 2010 to participate in the TAPI Summit and the 4th International Nauroze Festival in 2013. The ambassador of Turkmenistan conveyed warm greetings from the Turkmen President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to President Asif Ali Zardari on his election. He stressed that the Transit Trade Agreement was crucial for both friendly countries and the region, as it would generate significant transit trade activities.

The president expressed warm wishes for the leadership of Turkmenistan and thanked them for their congratulatory message on his election.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2024.

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