Will meet President Zardari, hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz and deliver speech at Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev speaks at a conference. PHOTO: AFP
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Islamabad on Thursday for a two-day state visit to Pakistan on February 5-6, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Upon arrival at Nur Khan Air Base, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the Uzbek president. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar Khan were also present.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Uzbek president is expected to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and address the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum during his stay.
“The discussions will focus on reviewing the overall bilateral relationship and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in various sectors, including trade, energy, defence, education, people-to-people exchanges and regional connectivity,” the OF said.
He will lead a high-level delegation, comprising senior ministers and business leaders,
FO said this would be its second visit to Pakistan, reflecting the “upward trajectory” of Pak-Uzbek bilateral relations and the fraternal ties between the two countries which are rooted in common history, faith and “aspirations for peace and prosperity in Central and South Asia”.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan enjoy strong diplomatic and economic relations, with leaders of the two countries frequently visiting each other to further strengthen bilateral ties.
Read: Uzbek president to arrive in Pakistan tomorrow for two-day visit
Earlier this week, Pakistan and Uzbekistan agreed to accelerate efforts to increase bilateral trade to $2 billion as the 10th session of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Scientific and Technical Cooperation concluded in Islamabad.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the steady progress in bilateral engagement and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding trade, investment and economic cooperation. They highlighted the importance of the preferential trade agreement, welcomed the progress made under the Phase II concessions and agreed to accelerate institutional mechanisms to achieve the trade target of $2 billion.
The discussions focused on trade facilitation, improving logistics, digitalization of customs, transit trade cooperation, developing regional trade corridors and strengthening business-to-business engagement, as well as improving visa facilitation for the business community.
