Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan and Uzbekistan reviewed the state of their bilateral economic relationship and agreed on a series of practical steps aimed at accelerating trade, investment, connectivity and sectoral cooperation, as both sides sought to translate growing political engagement into tangible commercial outcomes.
The discussions took place during a meeting between Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov, who was visiting Pakistan with a delegation.
Welcoming the Uzbek side, the commerce minister noted that Pakistan–Uzbekistan engagement has intensified over the past two years through frequent high-level interactions and institutional follow-up.
He emphasized that the focus had now shifted toward closing gaps in logistics, business linkages and implementation to ensure that identified opportunities result in concrete trade and investment flows.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Uzbekistan in trade development initiatives and stressed the need for streamlined coordination mechanisms.
Minister Kudratov thanked Pakistan for hosting the delegation and said both countries were preparing for an upcoming high-level visit from Uzbekistan, which he said was expected to mark another milestone in bilateral ties.
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He highlighted improving trade indicators, noting that bilateral trade grew by around 10 percent last year. According to Uzbek figures, Uzbekistan’s imports from Pakistan increased by about 12 percent, while its exports to Pakistan rose by approximately 8 percent.
The Uzbek minister underscored the importance of balancing and scaling trade and set an ambitious target of $2 billion in bilateral trade, to be achieved through deeper industrial cooperation and new sectoral partnerships.
The Uzbek side welcomed progress on a preferential trade framework, including the expansion of the product coverage list from 34 to 92 items, and expressed interest in gradually extending cooperation into services and investment-led arrangements.
The Pakistani side stressed that sustained implementation, supported by business-to-business engagement, would be critical to turning trade frameworks into increased shipments, contracts and joint ventures.
Investment and industrial cooperation were also discussed in detail. Uzbekistan noted that 228 Pakistani companies are currently operating in the country, with 80 new firms registered in the past year alone.
Both sides explored opportunities in sectors such as food security, mining, textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals and value-added manufacturing. Uzbek companies also expressed interest in investing in Pakistan, particularly in food security, meat production, rice cultivation and mining.
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Connectivity issues, including logistics and transit challenges caused by disruptions to traditional routes, were another key focus.
The two sides reviewed alternative corridors, including the northern route and the use of Kashgar as a logistics and warehousing hub.
They also discussed a proposal for a multi-country “green corridor” involving Pakistan, China and Central Asian partners to improve the predictability and efficiency of cargo movement.
Mining cooperation received particular attention, with Pakistan highlighting its need for modern exploration technologies and Uzbekistan offering expertise in geological surveying, drilling and mining services, including potential joint projects and knowledge transfer.
