ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will visit Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat on November 25-26 to lead the country’s delegation at the first-ever Global Conference on Sustainable Transport. The prime minister is undertaking the visit on the invitation of the Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who is co-hosting the conference along with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Around 1,500 participants including heads of several countries, ministers, civil society leaders and UN officials are likely to attend the conference. The aim of the conference is to discuss ways to promote the role of sustainable tra1nsport in the wake of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A statement by the Pakistani Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday said that Pakistan was keen to improve connectivity with Central Asian states by establishing transport and communication links. These links would be conducive to tapping the potential of trade, economic interaction, people-to-people contact and tourism, the statement said. It added that Pakistan and China had launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to provide seamless connectivity to Gwadar and Karachi ports. During the visit, the prime minister will also hold a bilateral meeting with Turkmenistan’s president.
