ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will pay a two-day official visit to Uzbekistan from Thursday (today) on the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
A high-level delegation, including the foreign minister and other members of the federal cabinet, will accompany the prime minister. A large group of leading businessmen from Pakistan will also visit Tashkent on the occasion.
The talks between the two leaders will cover the entire gamut of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on trade, economic cooperation, and connectivity. They will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
A number of agreements and MoUs aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in diverse fields are expected to be signed during the visit. The prime minister will also address the first Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum.
On the invitation of the Uzbek President, the prime minister will also participate in the ‘International Conference on Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities’.
In his interactions during the visit, the prime minister will highlight his vision of ‘Naya Pakistan’, contribution to peace and security at the regional and international level, and the shift from geo-politics to geo-economics.
Pakistan-Uzbekistan meeting
Meanwhile, the sixth meeting of the Uzbek-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation was held in Tashkent.
Adviser to the Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood co-chaired the meeting and Secretary, Board of Investment, Ms. Fareena Mazhar among other senior officials of Pakistan participated in the meeting.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan agreed for boosting bilateral trade and economic ties to enhance economic integration and connectivity between Pakistan and Central Asian States (CARs).
The two sides joins hands to attract leading companies in pharmaceuticals, textile, leather, production of construction materials and agriculture industries.
They agreed on the importance of further increasing bilateral trade and investment, in full partnership between the public and private sectors, and involving the relevant Chambers of Commerce, as well as export development and investment promotion agencies of the two countries.
In addition, future prospects for the development of bilateral trade and economic, investment and scientific-technical cooperation between the countries were also highlighted.
The parties decided to hold regular meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission on annual basis and hold the next meeting in Islamabad.
