Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov discussed regional connectivity projects during their meeting in Murree on Thursday.
Both leaders were briefed on regional connectivity projects by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal and Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Shahid Ashraf Tarar.
The two leaders were briefed about the proposed road projects to connect Central Asian Republics with Pakistan under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programme, which is a partnership of 10 countries and 6 multilateral development partners working to promote development through cooperation in order to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty.
Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said that infrastructure is the economic lifeline of the country. He said the completion of regional connectivity projects along with CPEC projects will turn around the economic outlook of the country and will prove to be a game changer for the entire region.
The president of Turkmenistan praised the vision of the prime minister for infrastructure development and expressed interest in the proposed routes which fall along the TAPI gas pipeline.
He also showed interest in investing in Gwadar in different areas including storage facilities. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi were also present on the occasion.