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ISLAMABAD, Jul 03 (APP): Pakistan and Russia have agreed to enhance road and rail connectivity between their countries through Central Asia, in a bid to boost regional trade and economic cooperation.
The development came during a bilateral meeting between Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin, held on the final day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Ministerial Conference in Tianjin, said a press release issued here on Thursday.
The discussion emphasized accelerating the construction of Highways among regional countries to facilitate this connectivity. It was also noted that access for Central Asia to warm waters via Pakistan could significantly boost regional trade activities.
The meeting further focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation between Russia and Pakistan.
Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan briefed the Russian side on Pakistan’s ongoing modernization of its transport infrastructure. He mentioned that Pakistan is advancing in digitization and deploying CCTV monitoring across Highways. Additionally, efforts are underway to make Motorways barrier-free with the mandatory implementation of electronic toll tagging (e-tag).
Deputy Minister Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to continue joint projects with Pakistan and noted that both countries can play a pivotal role in boosting regional trade. The two sides also exchanged views on the key aspects and outcomes of the concluding SCO Ministerial Conference.
It is noteworthy that the Pakistani delegation led by Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan actively participated in the three-day SCO event in Tianjin. Chinese Minister of Transport Liu Wei welcomed the Pakistani delegation. On the sidelines of the Conference, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan held multiple bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various member states.
Abdul Aleem Khan was accompanied by the Federal Secretary for Communications and senior officials. In his address, Abdul Aleem Khan elaborated on Pakistan’s progress in the Communications Sector, agreements with partner countries and the strategic importance of regional land connectivity via China and Afghanistan. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to prioritizing Communication infrastructure for promoting trade in the region. Federal Minister also highlighted the recent reforms and revenue enhancements achieved by the National Highway Authority and Motorways over the past 15 months.