WASHINGTON: Obama Administration stressed need to extend Afghanistan-Pakistan transit trade agreement to India, asserting this would transform economic dynamics of the region.

“Opening transit trade to India would be transformative, as it is going to be important economic anchor for the region in 21st century,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said.

“India and Pakistan commerce secretaries have been engaged in important talks over last many months to try to increase direct trade volume between their countries that goes across Wagah border,” he said at a seminar on Looking Ahead: US-India Strategic Relations and Trans-Pacific Century at School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

On New Silk Road vision of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Blake said this is a shared commitment to promote private sector investment, increase regional trade, transit, foster network of linkages across the region to build Afghan private sector and create a stable Afghanistan within a stable and prosperous region.

“This vision builds on many efforts already underway. Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to transit trade agreement and implement that and extend it to Central Asia. Everyone hopes transit trade to India can be opened so that products from Afghanistan or from any Central Asian countries could transit through Pakistan and into India, Bangladesh and even beyond.”

Blake said another important priority was to try to expand regional energy infrastructure. “Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India made quite important progress on TAPI gas pipeline and will also bring very important transit revenues for Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn on December 5, 2011 will be key opportunity for Afghan government, its neighbors and broader international community to address how world community can strengthen economic cooperation to address opportunities New Silk Road presents, he noted. ppi