Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz Saturday said Pakistan would be soon at the center stage of massive trade activities as it gained the full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Talking to media soon after his arrival from Astana, Kazakhstan, the advisor termed the development at 17th SCO summit as a `win-win situation’ for Pakistan. He said Pakistan had been participating in the SCO as an observer member since 2005 but the status of full membership came at the significant time because of the political scenario around the world.
Sartaj expressed the hope that Pakistan enjoyed multi-dimensional ties with SCO countries and after becoming its full member, the opportunities in the realm of multilateral cooperation, land and connectivity and trade activities would get a spur. The SCO member states represented about 45 per cent of the world population which accounted for 25 per cent of the world’s GDP which itself spoke about the immense potential the region had in store and enhancement in its membership would be definitely beneficial for all, he noted.
The advisor said on the sidelines of SCO summit, the meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin was very constructive as both sides agreed to enhance the bilateral trade. Pakistan and Russia had also developed deep defence cooperation in recent times, he said and expressed that it would be strengthened in the coming years.
He also termed prime minister’s meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as positive. With Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, efforts were being made to address issues of visa and custom regulations, he added. Sartaj said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and Karakorum Highway would serve the main linkage between the land locked central Asian countries and the rest of the world. The Gwadar port would serve as the shortest route of trade for these countries as compared to the Black Sea, he added.