Pakistan supports regional economic integration in Asia

ANKARA (AA) - A Pakistani parliamentary delegation on Friday reiterated its commitment towards “shared and inclusive Asian prosperity.”

During the inaugural ceremony of the 11th plenary session of Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) held in Istanbul -- where Anadolu Agency is the official host photographer --, the delegation led by Senator Muhammad Ali Saif, expressed support for enhancing trade and economic linkages amongst the Asian countries.

The inaugural session of the four-day APA meeting, themed as “Promoting Economic Prosperity in Asia”, was attended by Turkish Parliament Speaker Binali Yildirim and Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani, as well as a large number of parliamentary delegations.

Delivering a message on behalf of the Chairman Senate during the APA meeting, Saif said that intraregional and interregional connectivity was key to economic prosperity and progress in the region.

He stressed the "critical role" that parliamentary forums like APA could play in realizing the "dream" of regional economic integration in Asia.

Saif also highlighted the important contributions of Pakistan’s parliament towards realizing this goal during Pakistan’s presidency of the APA from 2013 to 2015, as well as vice presidency of APA Political Affairs Committee and Special Committee for the Creation of Asian Parliament (SCCAP) during 2017 and 2018.

He also called for the creation of an Asian Parliament as a stepping-stone towards greater regional interaction.

Earlier, the parliamentary delegation also attended the meeting of the Executive Council of APA during which it reiterated the need for coming up with financial contributions for streamlining the affairs of the assembly on a permanent basis.

Pakistan also expressed its willingness to contribute an appropriate amount to be agreed unanimously by the APA Member Parliaments in this regard.

The Pakistani parliamentary delegation is expected to participate in numerous APA standing committee meetings during the course of the event, in addition to holding several bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a written statement sent to the APA event on Thursday, also underlined the importance of the continuation of peace and development in Asia, as well as ensuring economic and social unity among the countries in the region.