Tajikistan to purchase weapons from Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday stressed the need to improve defence ties between the two countries, as the visiting delegation signed memorandums of understanding for the purchase of Pakistan-manufactured weapons.
The two governments entered into 12 accords for cooperation in various fields including trade, anti-corruption, infrastructure, education and culture, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Imran and Rahmon witnessed the signing ceremony as the representatives from the two sides signed the agreements.
The two leaders also signed a joint declaration encompassing details of discussions taken during Rahmon’s visit.
During the visit, Rahmon also expressed his government’s interest to access the ports of Gwadar and Karachi as the “shortest trade route” to help the landlocked Central Asian state connect with the region.
For this purpose, he supported the establishment of a trade corridor, on the lines of the China-pakistan Economic Corridor, passing through Pakistan.
The two leaders — who prior to the joint press conference held wide-ranging discussions on diverse areas of cooperation — expressed willingness to further strengthen the bilateral ties.
Rahmon stressed “fullfledged cooperation” between Dushanbe and Islamabad to manage energy and water resources and also tapping the potential of the CASA-1000 power project — a regional electricity generation project linking Central Asia and South Asia.
The president termed Pakistan a “reliable and trustworthy partner” of Tajikistan at the international stage, where the two countries had a similarity of agenda to pursue mutually beneficial cooperation.
He mentioned that his talks with the prime minister focused on inter-governmental cooperation in fields of economy, parliaments, energy, agriculture, healthcare and the Covid-19 situation. Prime Minister Imran mentioned the discussions held with President Rahmon in the domains of trade, defence, climate change and common challenges including the post-us withdrawal situation in Afghanistan. Imran expressed confidence that the agreements and Mous signed would lead to a stronger relationship between the two countries.
He said in the realm of “common challenge” faced by the two countries, they agreed that peace in war-torn Afghanistan was a priority for the two governments.
“If the US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan similar to what the Soviet Union did in 1989, we both are concerned about the security to our trade and connectivity,” the prime minister said. He said the governments in their delegation-level talks held unanimity of views that a consensual political government in Kabul was vital for durable peace of the region. Rahmon said in the rapidly changing global situation, “Tajikistan and Pakistan needed strong cooperation in anti-terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crimes”. Peace in Afghanistan, he said, was of “dire importance” for the immediate neighbours such as Tajikistan and Pakistan.
Both the leaders also expressed concern over the rising trend of Islamophobia in the world and called for joint action by Muslim countries and bodies including the Organisation of Islamic Countries. Imran also lauded Tajikistan for declaring 2025 as the “Year of Preservation of Glaciers”, saying: “Pakistan will fully back the initiative as it faced fast melting of its glaciers — the main resource of clean water.”
DETERMINED TO ENHANCE BILATERAL TIES WITH DUSHANBE:
Earlier, during a meeting with Rahmon, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Islamabad is determined to enhance bilateral cooperation with Dushanbe in various fields, including education, housing, infrastructure development, technology and energy. He told the president that the two countries possessed the potential to expand bilateral cooperation. Qureshi said it is welcoming that the leadership of both the countries has been endeavouring to further strengthen the relationship.
He said timely completion of important projects, including CASA-1000, will help establish an energy corridor between south and central Asia.
Qureshi also apprised Rahmon about Islamabad’s reconciliatory efforts and its results in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan will continue its efforts for greater regional peace and stability.