ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday assured a Tajik business delegation that Pakistan government would provide all possible facilities to private sector for exporting wheat and sugar to Tajikistan.

A five-member Tajik delegation, led by Minister and Chairman Agency for State Material Reserves of Tajikistan Nurmahmad Akhmedov, met Dar to discuss bilateral trade relations, particularly immediate import of sugar and wheat from Pakistan.

Dar informed the meeting that private exporters could send sugar or wheat to Tajikistan with prior permission of the government.

He further said the Tajik side could discuss modalities for wheat and sugar import with private sector trading companies/exporters.

Akhmedov said Pakistan’s private sector companies were very active in Tajikistan and there were bright prospects of growth in trade and business linkages between the two countries.

He said Tajikistan is a landlocked country which needs better connectivity in the region, adding his country had plans to avail the facilities at Karachi and Gwadar ports for trade.

Akhmedov informed Dar that they had plans to import crude oil from Kuwait and avail refinery facilities of Pakistan before onward supply to Tajikistan.

Dar said a proposal regarding use of Pakistan’s refineries by Tajikistan for refinement of crude oil could be duly considered.

He mentioned the CASA-1000 project and hoped for its speedy progress which would help resolve the energy issues of Pakistan.

The Tajik minister said that with the realisation of the Pak-Afghan-Tajikistan transit trade agreement, trade between these countries and in the region would flourish.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2014