Islamabad, Mar 19 (IANS): Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a "quintessential" connectivity project that contributes to regional proserity.

Speaking at the government-sponsored Islamabad Security Dialogue on Thursday, Qureshi described CPEC as a hallmark of Pakistan's all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Besides contributing to Pakistan's economic turnaround, CPEC is poised to contribute to regional prosperity," the Foreign Minister said.

The main theme of the Islamabad Security Dialogue is "Comprehensive Security Framework" that will enable the country to unfold its untapped potential in becoming a hub of regional development, according to Qureshi.

Pakistan plans to make the dialogue an annual event to parallel the world's leading security dialogues, he said, adding: "We envision Pakistan emerging as the gateway to landlocked central Asia and Afghanistan.

"We will endeavour to reap peace dividends in Afghanistan in the form of enhanced connectivity with central Asia."

The CPEC is a flagship $62 billion project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative that aims to connect Asia, Africa and Europe through a vast network of highways, rail lines and sea lanes.

The multi-billion dollar corridor connects the Chinese city of Kashgar with Pakistan's Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.