Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 24 March, an Uzbek-Pakistani video conference was held on the topic: “Strategy of regional connectivity: Uzbekistan - Pakistan. New regional course”.

The event, organized by the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan together with the Center for Global and Strategic Studies of Pakistan, was attended by more than 45 prominent scientists and experts from leading research institutes and analytical centers of the two countries.

During the online dialogue, the prospects for bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Pakistan were discussed against the background of strengthening interconnection between the regions of Central and South Asia, and the role of Afghanistan in this process.

Opening the event, Akramjon Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, noted that the dialogue of “think tanks” of Uzbekistan with leading research structures of Pakistan has acquired a traditional character. According to him, last year, despite the pandemic, the parties maintained regular contacts and held a series of online discussions on the most pressing issues of bilateral and interregional interaction.

At the same time, A. Nematov stressed that in recent years, Uzbekistan and Pakistan have actively advocated the restoration of historical interregional interconnection, which gives a powerful impetus to strengthening multifaceted ties between Central and South Asia. This, in turn, opens up new strategic opportunities for the further integration of Afghanistan into regional infrastructure projects and the development of international transport corridors, which are designed to unite the countries of the two regions.

At the same time, according to the first deputy director of the ISMI, in order to discuss in detail the issues of interregional interconnection, as well as economic recovery and peace in Afghanistan, in July this year, at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh.Mirziyoyev, it is planned to organize an international conference in Tashkent on the topic: “ Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities”. This event will contribute to the development of solid conceptual foundations for closer interaction between the regions of Central and South Asia, filling the interregional agenda with specific projects of a strategic nature.

Sharing this point of view, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Oybek Usmanov noted that this international conference will identify new areas of cooperation between Tashkent and Islamabad, as well as coordinate the efforts of the two countries to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan. The diplomat separately emphasized the achieved high level of interaction between the countries, which today has acquired a multifaceted, confidential and progressive character, is an important factor in ensuring security and sustainable development in the vast region of Central and South Asia.

The same assessment was expressed by the executive director of the Center for Global and Strategic Studies of Pakistan, Khalid Taimur Akram. In his words, lately Uzbek-Pakistani relations based on common history, culture, religion and traditions are developing along an ascending trajectory.

At the same time, the strengthening of trans-regional interconnection between Central and South Asia is becoming a key trend in modern political and economic discourse. In this regard, the expert emphasizes, practical interaction with all regional partners is becoming a requirement of the time and finds universal support in Pakistan.

Deputy Director of ISMI Sanjar Valiyev, directing the discussion into a practical plane, emphasized that the event allows for the development of specific proposals for promoting the construction of the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar corridor. The implementation of this project can bring tremendous opportunities for the economies of the countries of the two regions.

Developing this topic, Shabir Ahmad Khan, director of the Center for Central Asian Studies at Peshawar University, expressed his conviction that, firstly, the practical implementation of this project would contribute to the revival of the “Great Silk Road”; secondly, trade, economic, tourist exchanges will receive new dynamics, industrial cooperation will intensify and cooperation between the business circles of the two states will expand; thirdly, contacts between the countries of South and Central Asia are intensifying. According to him, the territory of Uzbekistan in a broader sense can become a kind of gateway for Pakistan to enter the Eurasian market.

Complementing his colleague, Professor of Peshawar University Azmat Hayat Khan noted that this new transport and transit corridor, designed to connect Uzbekistan with Pakistan through Afghanistan, will provide an opportunity for all Central Asian countries to use the infrastructure of Pakistani seaports.

Most importantly, the expert points out, one of the main beneficiaries of building transport connectivity will be Afghanistan, which can turn into a link between the two regions. For Kabul, the implementation of this corridor will have a multiplier socio-economic effect, expressed in the country’s integration into the system of trans-regional interconnectedness. As a result, one can expect an increase in the interest of external partners in the construction of new infrastructure projects and the development of industrial cooperation. The natural consequence of this will also be the creation of new jobs, which is a key condition for the establishment of long-term peace in Afghanistan.

The head of the department of the International Institute of Central Asia, Timur Rakhimov, also dwelled on this topic. He stated that today Afghanistan is considered as a key element of promising strategies for the development of international transport corridors connecting Central and South Asia with the seaports of the Indian Ocean, and through them - with the world’s leading markets.

Mehmood Ul Hasan, a member of the Expert Council of the Center for Global and Strategic Studies of Pakistan, highly appreciated the unprecedented steps taken by Tashkent and Islamabad in the Afghan direction. According to him, thanks to the diplomatic initiatives of the two countries, the process of reconciliation and peace has begun in Afghanistan.

The expert pointed out that as a result of such a policy, an agreement was reached on the resumption of transit trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which made it possible to expand trade relations between the countries, as well as open the way for the export of Afghan goods to India. Moreover, the economic and trade environment has improved markedly with the creation of border markets and infrastructure development along the Pakistani-Afghan border. At the same time, Mehmood Ul Hasan stressed that “stable relations between India and Pakistan are the key to unlocking the untapped potential of South and Central Asia.

The Pakistani expert emphasized that the forthcoming in July this year. in Tashkent an international conference on the theme “Central and South Asia: regional interconnectedness. Challenges and Opportunities”, will provide valuable practical solutions for expanding regional ties in the future.

In turn, the head of the ISMI department, Alisher Kadyrov, focused on the dynamic development of the Uzbek-Pakistani partnership.

In this context, the expert paid special attention to the intensification of trade and economic cooperation between the countries. According to him, since 2016, the trade turnover between the countries has grown by almost 5 times. There are 125 enterprises in Uzbekistan with the participation of Pakistani investments. At the same time, the transit of goods from Pakistan through the territory of Uzbekistan increased 5 times, and the number of Pakistani tourists to Uzbekistan increased 12 times.

In conclusion, the videoconference participants agreed to continue the practice of conducting thematic expert discussions to ideally saturate the agenda of relations between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.