ISLAMABAD: Three regional countries and an offshore power "agreed in principle" on Friday to set up a new diplomatic forum to enhance physical connectivity in South and Central Asia to harness the true economic potential of the neighborhood, the foreign office informed in a statement circulated in Islamabad.
The decision was taken on the sidelines of an international conference in Tashkent where representatives of the United States, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan decided to establish the quadrilateral forum to explore possibilities of economic collaboration for greater prosperity.
"The parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity are mutually reinforcing," the foreign office said.
"Recognizing the historic opportunity to open flourishing interregional trade routes, the parties intend to cooperate to expand trade, build transit links, and strengthen business-to-business ties," it added.
Pakistan wants to connect the landlocked Central Asian republics through its deep-sea Gwadar port in southwestern Balochistan to boost its geo-economic position in the region.
Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted the significance of his country’s connectivity with Uzbekistan while addressing an audience in Tashkent on Thursday, saying it would create greater prosperity in the region.
"Pakistan has immense potential to connect Central Asia with rest of the world and become a hub of trade," he said in a speech in the Uzbek capital.
However, Afghanistan's security deficit and political instability can make it challenging for his administration to implement the geo-economic vision.
In this context, members of the new quadrilateral forum agreed to meet in the coming months to determine the modalities of their cooperation and devise ways to move toward regional connectivity.
The US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs also announced the formation of the group in a Twitter post and shared the joint statement.
