President’s visit important step for regional cooperation
The importance of regional alliances cannot be overstressed for an embattled and – for the moment – ‘government-less’ Pakistan. At such a critical moment, with relations with its long-term ally, the US, strained over the go ahead to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, President Zardari’s two-day visit to the International Conference on Nauroz in Turkmenistan is a welcome omen.
The President went in with a specific agenda, to underlie the potential strategic importance of Pakistan as a bridge between the Central Asian states and South Asia, and shared it with the heads of participating countries, including Turkmenistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It was indeed important to reiterate Pakistan’s priorities as it has committed to building two key projects: the Gwadar Port and the Iran-Pakistan pipeline.
In his address to the conference, President Zardari underlined the geostrategic importance of the region and the need for regional alliances based on economic cooperation. He stressed on the need to build robust road and rail links to enable the countries to fully exploit their natural resources. The President delivered three key statements of intent: willingness “to facilitate the transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Central Asia to South East Asia and other world markets,” “the Gwadar [port] is the shortest route for Central Asian states to the Arabian Sea,” and “provide safe transit of piped gas to neighbouring countries.” The underlying message was that Pakistan was still keen on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline if the other countries were interested.
Addressing a conference attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tajik President Emomali Rehmanov and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Zardari could have made an important strategic move in the long-term. Projects like the Gwadar Port and the Iran-Pakistan pipeline make no sense without strong regional cooperation between Pakistan’s immediate neighbours in both South and Central Asia. Trade and economic development are the best routes to long term regional peace. More so, the conference came at a timely moment for Pakistan, facing criticism for its strengthening relationship with Iran. Zardari’s choice to attend the Turkmenistan conference was an indicator that threats will not force Pakistan to act against its own interests. But it is important to note that while the verbiage was all positive, no major agreements were signed at the moot. Regional cooperation in the Central to South Asian corridor is still walking its early footsteps. Peace in Afghanistan and the end of terrorism in Pakistan appear to be the two key determinants. But the question is: does peace come first or a commitment to cooperation? It appears President Zardari, for now, has made the right choice.