Russia ready to invest in Pak-Afghan energy projects

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday his country was ready to invest “millions of dollars” in energy projects in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as the third quadrilateral summit of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia that took place in Dushanbe ended in a joint statement being signed by the participants, urging the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan to step up the training of local security forces as it completes its planned staged withdrawal.
“The heads of state emphasise that reduction of foreign military presence in Afghanistan should be accompanied by adequate increase of efforts by the participants of the international coalition for training and arming Afghan national security structures,” the leaders’ joint statement said. The four nations also agreed to work more closely to combat extremism and drug trafficking along with organised crimes. “We are ready to develop our cooperation with Afghanistan both in economic terms and in supporting a dialogue on security issues,” Medvedev said during a separate meeting with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai. About 10,000 US troops are due to leave Afghanistan this year as part of a gradual drawdown through the end of 2014. Medvedev stressed that the new Afghan force should be able to “independently provide for the defence capabilities of the state, and combat extremist groups and drug traffickers”. President Asif Ali Zardari represented Pakistan at the summit, accompanied by Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain. The summit also accepted President Zardari’s invitation to hold the next moot in Islamabad next year.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon told reporters after the meeting that the summit could be called “fruitful and efficient.” “Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia have good economic and energy potentials and we must use them efficiently,” he said.
ECONOMIC PROJECTS: During that gathering the four leaders agreed to pursue joint economic projects to help bring stability to the volatile region. He also confirmed Russia’s interest in a key transnational gas pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.
The four leaders also adopted a joint declaration stressing the importance of linking their countries through modern highways and railroads to improve joint cooperation. “The immediate focus has to be on increasing connectivity,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told reporters. Talking about the situation in Afghanistan, President Zardari reiterated that stability and peace in Afghanistan were vital for stability and peace in Pakistan. “Our mutual efforts have enabled us to open a new chapter in our bilateral relationship and we are keen to see a stable and peaceful Afghanistan on our western side,” said Zardari.
The president said Pakistan had always called upon the international community to support and work for a permanent solution to the issues in Afghanistan and Pakistan was ready to provide all possible assistance to the international community for that purpose. He said Islamabad would soon host the second working level meeting of the Joint Commission for Peace and Reconciliation. The success of the Afghanistan transition hinged on the progress in reconciliation with various factions as well as the preparedness of Afghan institutions to handle their responsibilities, he added. He said Pakistan was ready to provide all help in the capacity building of Afghan institutions. Recent incidents on the Afghan-Pakistan border also came under discussion during the meeting. President Zardari and President Karzai welcomed the setting up of a joint military commission to deal with such unwanted incidents that could upset the amicable equation of the two countries.
CHINA: Separately, President Zardari said in an interview to a Chinese state-run TV channel in Beijing that he wanted to take the Sino-Pak friendship to the “next level” by opening borders for citizens of both countries to travel without passports. “I have a dream that the Chinese travel to Pakistan and Pakistanis to China without passports in the near future,” Zardari said.