Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov paid an official visit to Pakistan to strengthen bilateral relations and forge new bonds between the two countries. Mr. Kamilov called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, during the meeting Prime Minister reiterated Pak-Uzbek cooperation and said that Pakistan would facilitate Uzbekistan to get access to its seaports of Gwadar and Karachi in a bid to enhance regional connectivity and trade. Prime Minister underlined that Pakistan offered a shortest route to international seas to all Central Asian Republics including Uzbekistan and could prove as a gateway to landlocked Central Asia. Mentioning the significance of Pakistan-Uzbekistan strong ties, Imran Khan commented that Pakistan’s resolve to forge closer ties with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian States in the fields of trade, investment, energy, and people-to-people exchanges. Prime Minister also praised the proposed tri-nation railway project between Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Uzbek President Mirziyoyev has invited Prime Minister Imran Khan, to participate in a Central Asia-South Asia Connectivity Conference in Tashkent scheduled to be held in July 2021. Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the invitation and mentioned that he was looking forward to visiting Uzbekistan. Pakistan and Uzbekistan both are brotherly Muslim Countries located in adjacent regions and having vital opportunities to boost each other potentials by bilateral cooperation in selective fields of trade and investment. A well charted strategy through a bilateral platform to increase imports and exports to each other countries is a need of the time. Both Countrie’s economies are agriculture oriented with similar products, which restrict the prospects of bilateral trade. As per reports, Pakistan Uzbekistan bilateral trade was US $ 3.38 million and 3.22 million respectively during the year 2016. After ongoing endeavors by both sides these figures are likely to reach up to $ 9.14 million for Pakistan side and $ 6.98 million on Uzbek side in coming years. These figures are not much encouraging and there is dire need to search new avenues for bilateral trade between the two nations. The livestock, fisheries, IT, and tourism could be potential avenues to boost the bilateral trade relations. As mentioned by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan offer a very shortest and suitable route for Uzbekistan’s exports to Switzerland, Europe, and the Middle East through CPEC and Seaports at Gwadar and Karachi.
The major avenue of bilateral cooperation is regional connectivity to help facilitate each other trades and transportation of goods and passengers across the region. Both countries along with Afghanistan are working on the project of establishing a trade corridor and providing Central Asian States access to Pakistani seaports.
As per reports, government of Pakistan is constructing Special terminals for Central Asian goods and a dedicated handling facility for exports from these countries to avoid unnecessary delay to their goods. On other hand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan are actively working on construction of a rail link between three nations. The three countries have approached the World Bank for financing about US $4.8 billion for this rail link project. The rail link project is crucial for progress and prosperity of the people of the region and hopefully, World bank would be ready to invest in the project.
Currently, the Political leadership of both countries is energetically heading to conceive a mutual destiny through bilateral trade and cooperation in various fields. There is need to strengthen the people to people contacts through tourism, educational scholarships and exchange of cultural delegations between the two countries.
