Diplomatic correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov today held comprehensive talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Minister Saidov is in Pakistan on a two-day official visit.
The two sides underscored the cultural, civilizational and historical ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan which provide a solid foundation for robust partnership in multiple domains. They also expressed satisfaction at close security and defence cooperation and robust engagement at multilateral fora such as UN, SCO and OIC.
The two sides reaffirmed commitment to early implementation of the Uzbekistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan Railways project, which would give boost to bilateral and regional trade and become a bridge between South and Central Asia.
The two sides discussed at length economic cooperation, trade, investment and connectivity between Pakistan and Uzbekistan. They noted that following operationalization of Transit Trade Agreement, bilateral trade has increased 1.4 times during the previous year and has the potential to reach the targets set during the last Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) held in Tashkent in February 2023. They agreed to identify new areas of economic cooperation and emphasized the importance of a liberal visa regime especially for the business community to promote linkages and people-to-people contacts.
