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Pakistan, Kyrghyzstan

sign pact on reciprocal

protection of investment

BISHKEK: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto while stating her Kyrghyzstan visit as most successful, said, both the countries entered into a number of economic agreements for the speedy progress of the two countries.

Addressing a Joint Press Conference here after signing two agreements on "Reciprocal Protection of Investment" and "Agreement on cooperation in the field of electric power sector," the prime minister said, during her visit to Kyrghyzstan she found that both the countries were anxious to promote their economies by cooperating with each other. Being members of ECO, both the countries wanted to implement the decisions taken in the third ECO summit held at Islamabad in March this year.

She said, Kyrghyzstan was producing vegetables, fruits and meat in abundance and such "we would look into the possibility of purchasing these items if it could find market in Pakistan."

The prime minister said, it was agreed in principles that if the electricity supplied from Kyrghyzstan was cheaper per unit, Pakistan would purchase it from this country.

The Kyrgyz embassy that had recently been opened in Islamabad showed the keen interest of both the countries to establish strong relationships. She said, Pakistan was supporting in principle the stand of Kyrghyz government that it wanted to strengthen its economy.

The prime minister told that the Karakoram Highway constructed during her late father Z A Bhutto tenure, was providing route for the Kyrghyz people to Pakistan via China. She said, Pakistan would improve and look after the portion of KKH passing through its territory.

She said, a private airline Aero Asia was about to start flights to Kyrghyzstan and expressed the hope that PIA-the national airline of Pakistan - would also start air service to this country.

The prime minister said, there were ample chances of trade relations between Pakistan and Kyrghyzstan and said, some Pakistani traders were accompanying her visit to this country. "We have entered into an agreement to give 'Most Favoured Nation' status to each other besides counter trade in convertable currencies, she said, adding, that the high officials of both the countries were looking into the modalities for speeding up trade relations between the two countries.

She said both the countries were also looking into the tariff reduction on various items with a view to increasing trade.

Benazir Bhutto said, both the countries have a number of things in common. She on this occasion, referred to the dialect spoken in the northern region of Pakistan, which she said, was identical to some extent with the Kyrghyz language. She said, next time when your president or the prime minister visit Pakistan, they would be taken to northern areas. She told the mediamen that the dress and appearance of the ladies of northern areas were almost the same with that of Kyrghyz people.

The prime minister expressed her gratitude to the people and government of Kyrghyzstan for their warm wlecome to her and said she was the first prime minister of Pakistan who visited this country after independence.

She said, Pakistan was giving great importance to the Central Asian countries after the Cold War.

She said, she made the Pakistan's stance clear on the Kyrghyz leadership, the issue of Kashmir, where six lakh Indian forces were engaged in killing the innocent people who were demanding their right to self-determination and the implementation of UN resolution in this connection.

Prime minister said both Pakistan and Kyrghyzstan were giving importance to the promotion of education in their respective governments and expressed the hope that the agreements reached would further cement the existing ties. Earlier, the prime minister, in her statement at the joint press conference, termed her meeting with the President Askar Akayev, as "fruitful" and said both the leaders exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest.

The prime minister said that she apprised the President Askar Akayev on the tragic situation prevailing in Indian occupied Kashmir, were 600,000 Indian troops are busy in a ruthless attempts to crush a popular uprising for the right of self-determination.... a right conceded to them by the United Nations Security Council.

She said they also exchanged views on the situation in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

She said "a number of agreements we have signed speak for themselves. These agreements envisage cooperation on reciprocal promotion and protection of investment as well as cooperation between our news agencies. These have laid a foundation for further strengthening of our bilateral relations."

She further said the opening of Pakistan Embassy in Bishkek at ambassadorial level reflects the importance "we attach to the promotion of our relations with Kyrghyzstan."

"We now have a much better understanding of far reaching economic and social being implemented in Kyrghyzstan. We appreciate the action initiated by the president to strengthen the sovereignty, independence and national econmy of Kyrghyzstan," she said.

Benazir Bhutto said that the importance of Economic Cooperation Organization for regional economic development was emphasised by the both sides. She added that it was understood that all the ECO member countries accelerate the implementation of decisions reached during the third ECO Summit in Islamabad. "We also emphasized on the development of land and air links between Pakistan and Central Asian republics in particular Kyrghyzstan. We noted with satisfaction that Pakistani airlines, Aero Asia, landed its first flight in Bishkek on August 22, 1995. We expressed the hope that the ancient silk route, the Karakoram Highway should soon open to trade," she added.

"I am confident that my visit will reinforce further the fraternal ties which bind Pakistan and Kyrghyzstan together," she hoped.

She said that it was her first visit to Kyrghyzstan and was a great pleasure to be in the beautiful and historic city of Bishkek.

"It is indeed an added honour for me and my entourage to have been invited to participate in the millennium celebrations of Manas - an epic which embodies historical, cultural and spiritual experience of great Kyrghyz people and expresses their ethnical and aesthetic values," Benazir Bhutto said.-APP