DUSHANBE, September 2 (Itar-Tass) —— The presidents of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan have requested the ministries of the economy and other agencies in their countries to accelerate the preparation of “road maps” for long-term cooperation.
As they said in a joint statement issued today after the summit in Dushanbe, such steps should be taken in the interests of trading and economic relations of the four states. Among the main areas of cooperation are “aviation, road and rail links, regional energy needs, modernization of obsolete industries and creation of new ones and a favorable investment climate.”
The document also states that the heads of state, “affirming and encouraging the attraction of investments into such sectors as energy, transport, communications, construction, mining, chemistry, food and other industries, as well as into the agricultural sector, recommend the establishment of direct contacts between businesses of their countries. “
The presidents said that “the further development and expansion of transit and transportation corridors promotes regional trade, increases foreign investment and faciliates joint cooperation projects.” In this regard, the summit’s participants believe it is important to speed up the implementation of projects for connecting the railways and roads in the region.