Islamabad, 1 February 2022 (TDI): Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with the Uzbek Foreign Minister, Abdulaziz Khafizovich Kamilov. Both discussed the bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Uzbekistan; with a special focus on trade and economic relations and connectivity.
Emphasizing the existence of long-standing bonds between the two nations, the two sides reaffirmed the commitment to continue further strengthening bilateral ties.
The Foreign Minister fondly recalled the historic visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Uzbekistan in July 2021 and its substantive outcomes in myriad fields, including trade, education, culture, communication, defense, tourism, and people-to-people contacts.
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Trans-Afghan Railway project and assured all possible cooperation for its early realization.
https://twitter.com/FMPublicDiploPK/status/1488203036317073417
Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored the importance of peace and stability in the region and stressed the need to sustain economic and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to avert the looming crisis.
Moreover, both sides agreed to remain in touch for working closely towards strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation; at the regional and international levels. Among the organizations that both cooperate in, we can find UN, OIC, SCO, and ECO.
PAKISTAN- UZBEKISTAN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Furthermore, Pakistan recognized Uzbekistan as an independent country on December 20, 1991. The two countries established diplomatic relations on 10th May 1992. Pakistan opened an Embassy in Tashkent in June 1992, and Uzbekistan opened its own. It was also until 1994 that the Uzbek Embassy started its operations.
The first President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, visited Pakistan twice in 1992 and 2006. Pakistan received Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1992; then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1995, President Farooq Leghari in 1996, President Pervez Musharraf in 2005, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in 2007, Prime Minister Yusaf Gilani in 2011, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015.
Both countries have 42 documents of an intergovernmental, intergovernmental, and interdepartmental nature on cooperation in the field of extradition, assistance in criminal matters, combating terrorism, and air traffic. Those agreements are also regarding transit cargo transportation, trade, economic cooperation, and supporting small and private entrepreneurship.
Finally, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have agreements on avoiding double taxation of income, the fight against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs; psychotropic substances, science, and technology.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan established the most favored nation treatment, according to their Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation. The Ministry then mentioned that the trade indicators during the January-November 2018 period; stated that the mutual trade between them was $92.4 million, exports – 28.7 million, imports 63.7 million.
In 2018, both countries also resumed the flight Tashkent-Lahore-Tashkent twice a week. Regarding enterprises, the Ministry mentioned that 81 enterprises with the participation of Pakistani investments; including 4 with 100% Pakistani capital, and 23 joint ventures started their functions operating in Uzbekistan.
Those enterprises had a variety of activities: trade, production of textiles, paper, leather goods, food products, the provision of transport, and tourism services.
