Islamabad: President Mamnoon Hussain has said future of the region is deeply linked to active linkages, increased mutual trade and intensive cooperation.
He stated this while addressing the inauguration ceremony of six-nation first Speakers’ Conference here Sunday. “The theme of the conference is “the challenges of terrorism and inter-regional connectivity”.
Speakers of regional stakeholders including Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Russian Federation and Turkey are participating in the conference along with their respective parliamentary delegations.
President Mamnoon Hussain inaugurated the moot that enabled the participating countries to engage in meaningful discussions to explore common means of combating terrorism, maintaining peace and enhancing connectivity of people and states.
The President invited all states of the region to join the fate changer project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He One Belt One Road and CPEC would bring markets of West China, South and Central Asia, Africa and Europe together. He said a network of land routes, railways, sea lanes and Optic Highways would lead to increased and intensified interaction between different countries and regions.
He said the dream of strong economic cooperation is intrinsically linked to regional peace and peaceful co-existence. He said it is with this spirit that Pakistan has extended sincere and unconditional cooperation for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The conference will also involve interaction among peace activists, representatives of business and trade community, professionals, academia and experts from the six countries.
The participating countries are tied by geographical proximity and a perpetual interdependence based on age old civilizational heritage as well as geo-economic links of trade, tourism and culture spread over centuries.
These six countries exceed any region of the world with regards to human and natural resources, technological and skilled competence, and geo-political strategic importance. However, the persistent nuisance of global terrorism has been impeding the collective progress of this region. Therefore, the theme of the Speakers’ Conference aims at addressing these challenges through an exchange of knowledge, experiences and possible solutions in the form of dialogue.
The Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had proposed during the 2nd meeting of Eurasian Parliaments’ Speakers held in Seoul to host this Conference with a core vision of promoting dialogue and interdependence among the regional stakeholders.
Addressing the Conference, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq proposed negotiated peaceful settlements of all outstanding disputes through parliamentary diplomacy. He said the six countries gathered in Islamabad today (Sunday) have many things common and they can exploit their potential in difference fields by promoting cooperation and trust.
The Speaker said it is for the first time that parliamentary heads of six nations have gathered to re-affirm their commitment to shared peace, prosperity and forge new grounds of mutual cooperation. He said it is defining moment that chosen representatives of people of these countries are sitting together to reflect aspirations of their people to live side by side in respect, trust and friendship.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq pointed out that the six countries are natural allies because of geographical proximity, shared history and cultural affinities. He said China, Russia and Iran among top nations of the world with largest deposits of natural resources. China and Pakistan alone provide half of the world’s cotton. Untapped resources of Afghanistan can make it richest mining region of the world and construction industry places Turkey among the top ranking countries in the field.
Referring to the problem of terrorism he said this has taken toll of two hundred thousand lives throughout the globe during the last ten years and half of these are from this region. He said Pakistan’s economy has suffered losses worth over 120 billion dollars due to terrorism.
The Speaker emphasized the need for addressing the root causes of terrorism. He particularly referred to the Middle East problem and the question of right of self-determination of Kashmiri people. He also regretted that the recent decision of the US to move its embassy to Jerusalem would undermine peace in the region. He said all of us condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; have repeatedly called for negotiated settlements of all disputes and advocate homegrown solutions to the regional problems. He was convinced that an alliance for progress is possible among our six nations.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq proposed that the Speakers’ Conference should be made an annual feature and added that National Assembly of Pakistan can act as its Secretariat till a permanent secretariat is established.
In his key-note address, Chairman Senate of Pakistan Mian Raza Rabbani gave an overview of the challenge facing the world and said these stem from failures of the international community and the UN to adopt right approaches to address them. In this regard, he referred to continued denial of right of self-determination to people of Kashmir, attempts by the United States to shift blames of its failures in Afghanistan on Pakistan, Washington’s policy of regime change and President Trumps blunder of deciding to shift the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Mian Raza Rabbani said a new nexus among the United States, Israel and India has emerged. He said the United States is trying to promote India as policeman of the region. He said Pakistan believes in dialogue and friendly relations with its neighbours. He said unless India talks to Pakistan on the basis of sovereign equality, the dream of peace would remain a mirage.
The Chairman said we should endorse Eurasian Corridor and One Belt, One Road initiatives and take them forward.
President of the Wolesi Jirga of Afghanistan Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said addressing the challenge of terrorist should be our priority as our progress, peace and prosperity are deeply linked to the issue. He said the problem is assuming new dimensions as terrorist groups have modern weapons and ammunition.
Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhang Ping said no country alone can address the challenges facing the mankind and therefore, we will have to work together to tackle them. He said the six countries meeting today are important countries of the region. He said we should commit to secure peace and stability through collective efforts.
Speaker of Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran Dr. Ali Ardeshir Larijani said Islamic is religion of peace and those misusing the name of religion for terrorist activities are doing no service to Islam. He said occupation of other countries, poverty and under-development are some of the causes of extremism and terrorism and these must be addressed to overcome the problem.
Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav V. VOLODIN said we can defeat terrorism through collective efforts. He called for choking funding for terrorism and strengthening legislative measures.
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Ismail KAHRAMAN said the conference is going to yield positive results and therefore, it needs to be made permanent feature. He said Turkey has also remained a victim of terrorism. The bilateral meetings will be held today (Monday).
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