ISLAMABAD: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan will arrive on Thursday (today) for a two-day state visit to meet the country’s leadership and discuss bilateral cooperation as well as development projects.
The Uzbek president is visiting at the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, comprising the foreign minister, cabinet members, senior government officials, business and media personnel.
According to Foreign Office, this will be the first visit of President Mirziyoyev to Pakistan since assuming office in 2016 and would mark the historic commemoration of the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the visit, the two leaders will review bilateral relations including cooperation in political, trade and economic, connectivity, education, culture, security, and defence.
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 Uzbek President 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, 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 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.
The Pakistan-Uzbekistan relationship has witnessed an upward trajectory over the past few years. 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.
