ISLAMABAD, May 13: The Speaker, People's Representative Assembly of Kyrgyzstan, Borubaev Altai Asylkanovich, has shown interest in selling electricity to Pakistan.
This he offered in a meeting with Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan here on Thursday. The Kyrgyz speaker was currently leading an eight-member parliamentary delegation to Pakistan. Both the sides agreed to enhance political and trade relations between the two countries.
The Kyrgyz speaker said that Kyrgyzstan had tremendous capacity for producing electricity and at present was not utilizing full capacity because its production was greater than consumption.
Mr Asylkanovich also expressed his interest in cooperation between the banking and education sector of the two countries. He also proposed to start flights between the two capitals - Bishkek and Islamabad - in order to facilitate trade and people to people contact between the two countries.
The commerce minister informed the delegation that there was a tremendous scope of trade in textile, pharmaceutical and textile sectors between the two countries.
He told the delegation that Pakistan could offer its expertise to Kyrgyzstan's textile and health sectors. He said that the quadrilateral agreement signed by Pakistan, China, Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan was expected to give boost to the trading activities among member countries through Karakuram Highway.
Mr Khan emphasized the need to expedite work on the land route from Bishkek to Karachi and vice versa through Xinjiang province of China. He said that Kyrgyz republic might consider joining the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) and Protocol on Preferential Tariffs, which envisaged 10 per cent tariff reduction on the agreed lists of items.
Mr Khan said that the two countries had already signed an agreement on trade and economic ties in 1994, which could be used for development of trade and economic relations between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan.
This agreement envisages grant of the Most Favoured Nation treatment to each other and conducting trade in convertible currency. He emphasized on exchange of delegations, trade related information and participation in exhibitions bilaterally.