ISLAMABAD: The six-nation first Speakers Conference got under way in Islamabad on Sunday with the theme of ?Challenges of terrorism and inter-regional connectivity?.

Speakers of regional stakeholders including Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Russian Federation and Turkey are participating in the conference along with their respective parliamentary delegations.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani are attending the conference, which is intended to enable the participating countries to engage in meaningful discussions to explore common means of combating terrorism, maintaining peace and enhancing connectivity of people and states.

Addressing the opening session of the conference, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq said the participants of the conference reject terrorism in every form. 

"Non-state actors have dealt a blow to protection of national borders and sovereignty of nations," he lamented.

He also pointed out that Pakistan has suffered losses of $120 billion due to the menace of terrorism.

The conference involves interaction among peace activists, representatives of business and trade community, professionals, academia and experts from the six countries.

The participating countries are tied by geographical proximity and perpetual interdependence based on age-old civilizational heritage as well as geo-economic links of trade, tourism and culture spread over centuries.

These six countries exceed any region of the world with regards to human and natural resources, technological and skilled competence, and geo-political strategic importance. However, the persistent nuisance of global terrorism has been impeding the collective progress of this region. The theme of the Speakers Conference aims at addressing these challenges through an exchange of knowledge, experiences and possible solutions in the form of dialogue.

Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq had proposed during the second meeting of Eurasian Parliaments' Speakers held in Seoul to host this conference with a core vision of promoting dialogue and interdependence among the regional stakeholders.