ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia have agreed to strengthen road and rail connectivity through Central Asia, in a bid to enhance regional trade and economic cooperation.
The development came during a bilateral meeting between Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin, held on the final day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Ministerial Conference in Tianjin, said a press release issued here on Thursday.
The discussion highlighted the need to accelerate the construction of highways among regional countries to enhance connectivity.
It was noted that providing Central Asian states access to warm waters through Pakistan could significantly stimulate regional trade.
The meeting also focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation between Russia and Pakistan.
Abdul Aleem Khan briefed the Russian delegation on Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to modernise its transport infrastructure. He shared that the country is advancing in digitisation, with CCTV monitoring systems being deployed across highways.
Additionally, Pakistan is working towards making motorways barrier-free through the mandatory implementation of electronic toll tagging (e-tag) systems.
Deputy Minister Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to continue joint projects with Pakistan and said that both nations can play a vital role in boosting regional trade.
The two sides also exchanged views on the key aspects and outcomes of the concluding SCO Ministerial Conference.
The Pakistani delegation, led by the 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, the minister held multiple bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various member states.
