Prime Minister Imran Khan will depart tomorrow for a two-day visit to Tajikistan, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday.
According to FO spokeswoman Asim Iftikhar, the premier will be visiting Tajikistan at the request of President Emomali Rahmon. A high-level ministerial delegation will accompany him.
PM Imran will also attend the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) Summit in Dushanbe during his visit.
“Previously, the prime participated in the SCO-CHS held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on 13-14 June 2019 and the SCO-CHS hosted by Russia on 10 November 2020 through video-conference,” Iftikhar added.
He also stated that the PM would have a bilateral phase of his visit later in which he will meet with other participating leaders.
“His conversations with Tajik President will cover the whole range of bilateral relations, with a specific emphasis on strengthening trade, economic, and investment connections, with a particular focus on regional connectivity.” “The two nations have already shown significant intention to entering into a formal strategic cooperation,” according to the FO.
He went on to say that the Prime Minister will also kick off the inaugural session of the Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum. A group of Pakistani businesspeople will also pay a visit to the country’s capital, Dushanbe, according to the spokesman.”
“The Joint Business Forum will accelerate expanding trade and investment connections, as well as foster business-to-business relationships between both sides’ trading communities. On the margins, the Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Business Council will convene. Pakistan and Tajikistan have close brotherly connections based on shared faith, history, and culture “He persisted.
Iftikhar further stated that this will be the prime minister’s third visit to Central Asia, highlighting Pakistan’s increased involvement with the area.
“The Prime Minister’s visit is part of Pakistan’s deepened engagement with Central Asia through the ‘Vision Central Asia’ policy, which has refocused attention on five key areas: political ties, trade and investment, energy and connectivity, security and defense, and people-to-people contacts,” he said.
“The two nations have common perspectives and a desire to support economic development, peace, security, and stability in the area,” the spokesman said.
The SCO is an eight-member permanent inter-governmental trans-regional organization, according to the statement. It was founded on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai.
Pakistan joined the SCO as an observer in 2005 and became a full member in June 2017 during the Astana SCO-CHS Summit.
The other SCO members are Russia, China, India, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
In addition, the SCO comprises four Observer nations (Iran, Mongolia, Belarus, and Afghanistan) and six Dialogue Partners (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka).
