Uzbekistan and Pakistan form strategic cooperation council, aim for $2 billion in trade
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif held important talks today, discussing various issues related to strengthening and expanding the strategic partnership between their two countries. The discussions took place in both a private meeting and an expanded session with official delegations present.
According to the presidential press service, the discussions covered a wide range of topics, including the dynamic development of multifaceted cooperation in recent years. Both leaders highlighted the active political engagement, productive inter-parliamentary and interdepartmental exchanges, and the successful bilateral trade that exceeded $400 million in 2024.
The leaders emphasized the need to increase bilateral trade to $2 billion and discussed key priorities such as diversifying the range of traded goods, simplifying customs procedures, and improving interbank settlement mechanisms. Plans for implementing joint projects in various sectors like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, textile, and leather industries were also discussed.
President Mirziyoyev proposed hosting a bilateral Regional Forum in Uzbekistan to foster business and cultural ties between regions. The leaders also focused on enhancing transport connectivity, increasing cargo shipments via the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan corridor, and advancing the Trans-Afghan railway construction project.
Additionally, they discussed further expanding cultural, humanitarian, and tourism exchanges, as well as cooperating on pressing international and regional issues. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to mutual support within various multilateral organizations and emphasized the need for joint efforts to combat terrorism, radicalism, and other security threats.
To develop new areas of comprehensive cooperation, the two sides agreed to establish a High Council for Strategic Partnership and draft a joint “roadmap” to ensure the timely implementation of agreements reached and documents signed. The next session of the Intergovernmental Commission will be held in July this year in Lahore, further strengthening the partnership between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
