Opening Ceremony of the Thematic Session on Think Tank Exchanges of the Belt and Road Forum on 14 May 2017 at Beijing
(2017-05-14) Addressing the Opening Ceremony of the Thematic Session on Think Tank Exchanges of the Belt and Road Forum on 14 May 2017 at Beijing, the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz called upon the Think Tanks of China and One Belt One Road (OBOR) countries to come together and utilize their combined intellectual resources for amelioration of condition of people of the world. He emphasized that through collective wisdom, OBOR countries could focus on the challenges and opportunities that have been brought forward by the transformative Belt and Road Initiative. The Adviser said that the OBOR Initiative is a new Form of globalization that is broader in concept and is based on Asian values.
The Adviser underscored that China had created the necessary cooperative mechanisms and brought its intellectual, technological and financial resources to make the Belt and Road Initiative a reality. He stressed that the participating countries of the Forum should contribute towards realizing the true potential of the Initiative for common prosperity and win-win cooperation.
Highlighting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Adviser said that Pakistan was privileged to be the first flagship project of the Belt and Road initiative. He mentioned that this important flagship project would lead to not just national but regional development through connectivity.
Adviser Sartaj Aziz is part of Prime Minister of Pakistan's delegation attending the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on 14-15 May 2017. Besides 29 Heads of State / Government, the Forum is being attended by Ministers, senior officials, scholars, entrepreneurs, people from financial institutions and media from 110 countries and 61 international organizations.
On the sidelines of the Forum, the Adviser held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. Various issues of bilateral cooperation and mutual interest were discussed during the meeting.
Islamabad
14 May 2017