https://arab.news/83tye
- Leaders vow that bilateral trade, which currently exceeds $400 million, would be increased to reach $2 billion
- Under strategic council, ministries and relevant bodies will report monthly on implementation of projects
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday signed a joint declaration to establish a High-Level Strategic Council aimed at strengthening economic, diplomatic and security cooperation, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a state visit to Tashkent.
Sharif landed in Tashkent late Tuesday following a visit to Baku, during which multiple agreements were signed to enhance cooperation in trade, energy, tourism and education, among other sectors.
Pakistan is seeking to leverage its strategic position as a key trade and transit hub to connect the landlocked Central Asian republics to the global market. Since last year, there has been a flurry of high-level visits, investment discussions and other economic engagements between Pakistan and the Central Asian states.
On Wednesday, Sharif arrived at the Congress Center in Tashkent, where he was received by the Uzbek president. The two leaders jointly oversaw the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) covering trade, technology, security, youth affairs and media cooperation.
“This historic visit is an important event that will open a new chapter in the expansion of our strategic partnership,” Mirziyoyev said after the signing of the agreements.
“We have also decided to establish a High-Level Strategic Council ... Once in two months we will have calls by mobile phones. Once a month, all the ministries and relative bodies will report to us in the online format on the implementations of the instructions and measures.”
He said the council would evaluate any challenges to bilateral cooperation and work to address them.
Mirziyoyev said he had held detailed discussions with Sharif on regional connectivity with a focus on the trans-Afghan rail service aimed at linking the three countries. While air travel had already been launched between Tashkent and Lahore, the number of flights would be increased and new routes introduced connecting Samarkand and Bukhara to Karachi.
The Uzbek president said bilateral trade between the two countries, which currently exceeded $400 million, would be increased to $2 billion.
Speaking at the occasion, Sharif said the two leaders had discussed and decided to cooperate in the field of mines and minerals and would explore investing in each other’s economic zones.
Sharif and Mirziyoyev are also scheduled to participate in a Pakistan-Uzbekistan Joint Business Forum, while the Pakistani prime minister will visit the Tashkent-based Technopark, where he will tour Uzbekistan’s industrial manufacturing units.
Among the MoUs signed was one for cooperation between news agencies, and others on youth affairs, science and visa-free travel.
Uzbekistan is the largest consumer market and the second-biggest economy in Central Asia. It is central to Pakistan’s regional connectivity plans and was the first Central Asian nation with which Pakistani officials signed a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) and a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) covering 17 items.
A landmark moment in the relationship was the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership during a high-level Pakistani visit to Uzbekistan on July 15-16, 2021. This was followed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Pakistan on March 3-4, 2022, which resulted in the signing of another Joint Declaration on Further Steps to Enhance the Strategic Partnership and multiple agreements covering trade, investment, and economic cooperation.
In February 2023, Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a $1 billion trade deal to enhance bilateral commerce, facilitating the exchange of goods and services.
Last month, Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Alisher Tukhtaev, announced plans to launch direct flights between Uzbekistan and Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi. Uzbekistan and Pakistan are also working toward optimizing cargo flows, green corridors at border customs points, and digitalization of customs clearance processes to facilitate smoother trade operations.