ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday agreed to extend a transit trade agreement by signing a protocol in a unique ceremony that was simultaneously held in Islamabad and Kabul through a video link.
Pakistan's Abdul Razak Dawood and Afghanistan's Nisar Ahmad Ghoryani, who look after the commerce ministries of their respective countries, signed the document in the presence of other government functionaries and representatives of the two embassies.
Speaking on the occasion, Dawood said his vision for economic relations with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics was to make Pakistan a trade, transit and transshipment hub.
"Our trade must be based on secure, open, consistent, reliable and legal movement of goods at the Afghan border along with enhanced connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics," he said.
Dawood said it was a long-term vision, though he added that his country was doing its best to implement it through constructive engagement with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
He hoped that these efforts would help Pakistan leverage its geo-economic location in the region to enhance its international trade.
"Our discussions with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are a step in this direction," he said.
The two countries expressed satisfaction with the extension of the agreement and decided that their technical teams would conclude the revised agreement soon.