Connect people, prosperity will follow, Sharif tells BRICS

PM Sharif suggests people-to-people contacts, confidence-building in peace and security, trade and regional connectivity among the BRICS countries for betterment of masses

Addressing the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) outreach meeting on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Ufa, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Thursday suggested a four-pronged uplift approach for masses; encompassing people-to-people contact, confidence-building in peace and security and trade and regional connectivity among the BRICS countries.

The prime Minister, along with his delegation, arrived in Russia on the second leg of his visit from Oslo to lead Pakistani delegation at the 15th SCO Summit and 7th BRICS Summit. The delegation included Kulsoom Nawaz, Adviser to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi.

As the Prime Minister reached the Congress Hall to attend the BRICS outreach meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin received him.

In his address, PM Sharif said that Pakistan valued its interaction with BRICS, which comprised important countries of the region and beyond. He called for collectively focusing on improvement and well-being of the people. He proposed to promote mutual understanding, cooperation and goodwill through cultural, academic interaction and people-to-people contact.

Calling for promotion of confidence, the Pakistani premier said that confidence-building in peace and security was an essential ingredient for endeavours towards shared prosperity. He suggested promoting bilateral and regional trade and commerce, coordinate to introduce cohesive laws, reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, and ease the movement of people and merchandize across the borders.

Moreover, PM Sharif also proposed promoting connectivity by investing in regional infrastructure including investment in better transport networks, including roads, motorways, railways, and air and sea links.

He congratulated Russian President Putin on hosting the 7th BRICS Summit and the 15th SCO Summit.

“We are grateful to our host, President Vladimir Putin and the Government of the Russian Federation, for bringing SCO and BRICS member community together under one roof. This would go a long way in promoting inclusive and synergetic approach to economic development,” he remarked.

“This interaction coincides with the consensus to make Pakistan a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation,” the prime minister said.

“Pakistan’s economic growth has remained steady. We have unveiled Vision-2025, to provide a solid platform for the revival of sustainable and inclusive growth. The potential growth sectors such as infrastructure, power and natural resources, are open to large scale investments,” he said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he had a vision of “Peace for Development and Development for Peace,” for the region, in which regional connectivity and economic integration were the key components.

Towards this end, he said that Pakistan had been actively engaged at several regional foras including SAARC and ECO. Pakistan will be hosting Summit meetings of both these important regional organizations in future, he added.

The prime minister said Pakistan had been collaborating with a number of SCO and BRICS members to promote progress and prosperity of the people. He said with Chinese collaboration, Pakistan was building the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as an important part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visionary initiative of ‘One Road and One Belt’ and a ‘community of shared destiny.’

He said Pakistan’s fight against terror including ongoing military operation was not only for protection of Pakistan rather it was very critical for peace of the region as well as the international community. He said in this endeavour, Pakistan had rendered huge sacrifices in terms of human and economic losses “but this has not weakened our resolve to fight against extremism and uproot terrorism.”

“We remain absolutely determined to take this campaign to its logical conclusion in order to achieve our objective of peaceful and prosperous region,” he said. He also called for a commitment to work together in order to promote peace and development in the region and beyond in a true spirit of collaboration and cooperation.