DUSHANBE, January 5, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reported on January 4 that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan have agreed to reach a conclusion in negotiations over a transit trade agreement in three months, which will provide Pakistan access to markets of five landlocked Central Asian states in return for giving rights to use its ports.

The three countries reportedly set the deadline to finalize a draft during the first expert-level meeting for the Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement in Islamabad on January 3.

The negotiations are taking place at a time when a bilateral transit trade deal between Pakistan and Afghanistan is going to expire later this year.  The Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement, known as APTTA, will complete its time period in October this year after remaining in force for five years.

The trilateral arrangement would be seen as an important step towards deepening trade collaboration among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Commerce Secretary Shahzad Arbab, Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Muzammil Shinwari and Tajikistan’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Saidrahmon Nazriyev led their respective delegations at the meeting.

Details of a future trilateral transit trade agreement were discussed and the three countries reportedly decided to step up the process of consultations to reach conclusive decisions. 

They nominated their representatives for technical discussions and agreed to meet in Dushanbe next month with the first draft of the trade accord.

They also reached consensus on preparing the final draft in March, which may be signed in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Saidrahmon Nazriyev reportedly described the proposed common transport corridor as a project that would greatly enhance regional trade and investment and attract foreign investors because of its highly lucrative economic potential.