On the invitation of the president of Turkmenistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is visiting Turkmenistan from November 25 to 27. He will lead the Pakistan delegation to the first ever Global Conference on Sustainable Transport being held at Ashgabat under the auspices of the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and Turkmenistan are co-hosting the conference which is likely to be attended by around 1,500 participants, including heads of states, governments, ministers, private sector CEOs, civil society leaders and the UN officials. The conference will discuss promotion and role of sustainable transport towards achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Pakistan is keen to improve connectivity with Central Asian states by establishing transport and communication links. These will be conducive to tapping the potential of trade, economic interaction, people-to-people contacts and tourism. Pakistan and China have launched China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to provide seamless connectivity to ports at Gwadar and Karachi. Pakistan’s rail and road transport corridors can be utilized by land-locked Central Asian countries to have access to Pakistan’s seaports at Karachi and Gwadar.
During the visit, the prime minister will also hold a bilateral meeting with Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. This meeting will provide a valuable opportunity to review the decisions taken during two visits of the prime minister to Turkmenistan in 2015 and the Turkmen president’s visit to Pakistan in March 2016, as well as exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
