ISLAMABAD: Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay an official visit to Pakistan from March 3-4 at the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the Uzbek president will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, comprising the foreign minister, other cabinet members, senior government officials, and business and media personnel.
This will be the first visit of President Mirziyoyev to Pakistan since assuming office in 2016, according to Foreign Office. The state visit of President Mirziyoyev would mark the historic commemoration of the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
During the visit, the two leaders will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations including cooperation in political, trade and economic, connectivity, education, culture, security and defence domains.
They will have a wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues. A number of bilateral agreements/MoUs will be signed. The prime minister will hold a one-on-one meeting with the president of Uzbekistan that would be followed by delegation-level talks and joint media stakeout.
The prime minister will also host a state banquet for the Uzbek president who would have a separate meeting with President Arif Alvi.
The two sides would focus on enhancing political and strategic linkages; fast-tracking trade, transit, and economic ties; enhancing connectivity; and promoting educational and cultural collaboration.
The Trans-Afghan Railway Project, connecting Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, will be a key area of deliberations. There will also be fruitful interaction with leading businessmen of the two countries.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan are linked through a common faith, shared history and cultural affinities. The two countries have been closely collaborating at regional and international fora, especially at the UN, OIC, ECO and SCO.
Prior to the president’s visit, the two sides are scheduled to hold the 7th Session of the Joint Ministerial Commission and 2nd Joint Business Forum in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Pakistan has enhanced its engagement with Central Asian countries within the framework of “Vision Central Asia” policy, with five key strands: political and diplomatic, trade and investment, energy and connectivity, security and defence, and people-to-people relations.
Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Uzbekistan in July 2021. The two leaders also met recently in Beijing on the sidelines of Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on February 5.
