PM Nawaz Sharif attends Quadrilateral Summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Islamabad, Pakistan: A Quadrilateral Summit on CASA-1000 Power project was hosted by the Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe on 6th July 2017. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Krygyz Prime Minister Soonranbay Jeenbekov and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, participated in the Summit. International Partners of the project also attended.
According to a press statement issued by Foreign Office Pakistan, during the Summit, the four leaders and the representatives of international partner agencies expressed satisfaction at the progress made since official launch of the project in May 2016. Measures for the early completion of the project were discussed.
In his statement, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressed gratitude to President Rahmon and the Tajik government for hosting the Summit. He said that CASA-1000 is a flagship project in the region whose implementation will create win-win situation through export of clean hydel energy from energy-rich Central Asia to energy-deficient South Asia. It will also create new jobs, improve trade and regional connectivity.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the early completion of the project which would contribute towards social economic development in the participating countries in the region.
Meanwhile, the Joint Communiqué received from Dushanbe Correspondent is hereunder:
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mr. Ashraf Gani, Prime-Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov, Prime-Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Mr. Nawaz Sharif and President of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Emomali Rahmon attended the Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the countries participating in the CASA-1000 Project, which was held on 6 July 2017 in the Governmental residence “Pugus” of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The representatives of the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, United States Agency for International Development and Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, which are partners on the implementation of the CASA-1000 Project, also attended the Summit.
The Heads of delegations of the participating countries exchanged their views on the implementation of the regional project CASA-1000 and discussed prospects and measures for improving coordination and interactions aimed at the soonest completion of tender phase and an early start of the construction of the CASA-1000 components.
They positively assessed the work, which had been done since the official launch of the project in May 2016, and further stressed the need for timely completion of the CASA-1000 Project, optimization of mutually beneficial and close cooperation in energy sphere and continuation of coordination among the participating countries.
The Heads of delegations called on all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the CASA-1000:
– To maintain their firm commitments to support the implementation of the project;
– To take all necessary steps and measures for rapid completion of tender process and an early start of the construction of the CASA-1000 components, including the construction of a transmission line in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan;
– To improve tender process in order to accelerate consideration/granting of the contracts;
– To improve management mechanism of the project through improving functioning of the Secretariat, organization of meetings of the Inter-Governmental Council no less than two times in a year and enhancing involvement of the participating countries in planning process.
The Heads of delegations also recommended supporting initiatives of all stakeholders of the project, which are aimed at ensuring timely implementation and sustainable functioning of the CASA-1000 Project.
Participants of the Meeting noted the high level of organization of the Summit of the countries participating in the CASA-1000 Project and expressed their gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for warm welcome and hospitality.
