Islamabad Trilateral Dialogue: China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Day II - Monday, OCTOBER 20th, 2014
Source : Pakistan China Institute Date : 19th 20th October, 2014 By : PCI
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Day II - MONDAY, OCTOber 20th, 2014
SESSION III: REGIONAL COUNTRIES’ PERCEPTIONS
The third session of the conference began on the second day and was chaired by Dr. Ross Masood Hussain, Chairman of the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI) in Islamabad.
The first speaker was Senator AkramZaki, former Ambassador of Pakistan to China, and he presented China’s perspective on the current situation in the region. He stated that Chinese foreign policy has three main objectives; peace, development, and international cooperation; he also highlighted China’s objective of combating the three main threats facing the region, in the form of terrorism, extremism, and separatism. Speaking on China’s interest in a stable Afghanistan, he discussed Chinese support in terms of aid and resources for reconstruction and economic development, and also touched on the role of Chinese companies that had undertaken a number of infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. On Chinese policy towards Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said it was evolving from that of non-interference to one of creative involvement. The Chinese government, he stated, planned to strengthen economic relations and security cooperation, and recognized the need for cordial relations and mutual understanding between Pakistan and Afghanistan for regional stability.
The second speaker, Dr. GhairatBaheer, an eminent Pakistan-based, Afghan public figure and political analyst, lauded the trilateral dialogue as the best forum to address and resolve regional problems, whether related to politics, economics, or security. He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common destiny, a common culture, and most importantly, a common faith. He added that Afghanistan would like to maintain friendly relations with both China and Pakistan, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. He also stated that Afghanistan’s foreign policy strongly favors China and Pakistan as it dictates that Afghanistan’s neighbors will hold top priority, followed by Muslim nations and Asian countries, and lastly by the West, including the USA.
The third speaker was Major General Noel Khokar, Director General of the Institute for Strategic Studies, Research and Analysis (ISSRA) at NDU, and he spoke on Pakistan’s perspective. Talking about Pakistan’s current policy of neutrality with respect to Afghanistan, he said it signaled a contentment of sorts with the “friendly to all” factor as compared to past projections related to the quest for “strategic depth”. In this backdrop, he said, the policy did not ipso facto represent a continuum and thus stayed short of a cohesive approach towards the Afghan arena.However, he stated, prevalent policy approaches do not provide a clear-cut view of what is seen as future transnational regional connectivity for trade flows, and that while it generally affirmed a response to notions about east-west connectivity as a ladder for economic growth and stability, it did not yet offer one.
The Question and Answer session with the audience broached such issues as joint Pak-China developmental projects, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, strategies to ensure the security and safety of infrastructure investments in them, and the need to prioritize regional security and stability for the developmental projects to go forward smoothly.
Session IV: Trilateral Cooperation on Afghanistan
The fourth session of the conference was chaired by Dr. DavoodMoradian, Director General of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) in Kabul.
The first speaker, Ambassador Ali SarwarNaqvi, Executive Director of the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS), spoke on the issue of securing borders.He cited the long time border dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan as the basis of bilateral tensions, mentioning how initiatives over the last 14 years to rectify this issue had never taken root. Speaking on renewed concerns about the unregulated border space, he said that post 2014, Pakistan’s central objective would be to secure the border. He advocated operationalizing joint plans to eliminate border safe havens and stated that developing mutual understanding was critical for reducing the space for militant organizations on both sides.
The second speaker, Mr. ImtiazGul, Founder & Executive Director of the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), spoke about national reconciliation and dialogue with the Taliban. He said that it was important to contextualize what different stakeholders say about the talks with the Taliban, owing to a large number of conflicting viewpoints on the topic. He stressed that the Afghan government needed to reconcile the different definitions of “Taliban”, guard against other states influencing reconciliation efforts, and not favor any particular party. He concluded that an inclusive approach with all stakeholders was needed, while emphasizing that the Afghans should decide their own fate.
The third speaker, Professor Li Xiguang, spoke on securing regional linkages, discussing the importance of the Silk Road Economic Zone, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and the Central Asian Economic Belt, for efforts towards trilateral cooperation. He stated that the Silk Road greatly increases connectivity between Pakistan and China, connecting the two countries through culture, trade, writers, craftsmen, etc. He emphasized that the most important project between Pakistan and China was the Gwadar Port, which would substantially increase Pak-China trade, accelerate the development process in Pakistan, and also greatly benefit the Chinese economy.
A discussion with the audience followed, touching on a number of issues, such as the lack of a political and intellectual consensus amongst regional governments, effective border management, and the lack of engagement on part of the international community towards resolving the issue of poppy cultivation and the drug trade.
Session V: Concluding Session
The concluding session was chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain and included an address by the Guest of Honor Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security, as well as a presentation of policy recommendations by PCI Executive Director Mr. Mustafa Hyder Sayed.
The first speaker, Ambassador RiazKhokhar, began the session by lauding the trilateral relationship as absolutely fundamental to peace and security, and stating that the time had come for China to take a more proactive role in the region. He added that the only way to resolve the issue of mistrust in the region was through such positive initiatives and dialogues. China, he stated, is a friend of Pakistan and Afghanistan and it is working for peaceful coexistence and cooperation in Pakistan. He also stated that if China becomes a member of SAARC, it would provide a great economic boost in the region.
In his address to the audience, Ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmand stressed the need to find the root cause behind the conflict in Afghanistan, which is the major issue facing cooperation among the three countries. The war, he stated, had cost around 1 trillion dollars, seen more than 10,000 attacks occur yearly in the country, and witnessed the rampant trade in drugs. He stressed that Pakistan needed to address the problem of water shortage faced by Pakistan and Afghanistan, further adding that the two countries should collaborate on hydel projects, which could help to generate 8000 MW of electricity. However, he said, it all depended on whether peace would return to the region, for which Pakistan must play a proactive role.
Mr. Mustafa Sayed identified three major challenges facing trilateral cooperation between China, Afghanistan and Pakistan: terrorism, border security, and a trust deficit on the governmental and non-governmental level. He proposed a number of policy recommendations to help counter these pressing challenges, listing them as under:
“A) The series of trilateral dialogues held by the Pakistan-China Institute, initiated in Beijing, China in 2013, is an encouraging step towards future cooperation among China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The next trilateral dialogue is expected to take place next year (2015) in Kabul, Afghanistan.
B) A joint trilateral counter-terrorism task force should be established among the three neighbors, which should meet quarterly in rotation in each of the three countries to share information and coordinate policy and strategy to combat terrorism.
C) A joint trilateral economic task force should be established for promoting the Central Asian Economic Belt and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, with projects which can be of mutual benefit to the communities along the Corridor as well as peoples of the three countries. A trilateral business council involving the private sector should be established to promote this.
D) Joint trilateral youth summer camps of students from the three countries should assemble by rotation in Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan, Xinjiang province in China, and the Wakhan region in Afghanistan.
E) A trilateral media conference should be convened annually to promote better communication and understanding among print, electronic and social media of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with training workshops and joint reporting initiatives reinforced by regular exchanges between journalists.”
Mr. Sayed’s recommendations were followed by the keynote address of Mr. Sartaj Aziz, who lauded the conference as an immensely important platform for trilateral cooperation and for discussing the political and security situation in the region. He stated that the present was a moment of hope for Afghanistan, with its newly elected government and the peaceful transfer of power, and a matter of pride, not only for the Afghans, but also for Pakistanis. He discussed Pakistan’s vision of a stable and secure Afghanistan, terming it a prerequisite for economic development in the region. Mr. Aziz added that both Pakistan and China support the peaceful transition, reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, and are promoting trade through the energy corridor, while mobilizing regional as well as international support for Afghan reconstruction. He further added that China’s policy of peaceful development would play an imperative role in promoting peace and stability in the region.
Following the keynote address, Mr. Ronny Heine gave a vote of thanks to the participants and organizers. Senator Mushahid Hussain then brought the conference to a close, thanking all invitees for contributing to the successful trilateral dialogue.