ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to elevating bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level as President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev concluded a two-day state visit to Pakistan, marked by wide-ranging agreements on trade, connectivity, culture, security, and regional cooperation.
President Mirziyoyev visited Pakistan on February 5–6 at the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The two leaders held comprehensive talks covering the full spectrum of bilateral ties and regional and international issues of mutual interest.
In a joint declaration issued at the conclusion of the visit, both sides underscored their resolve to strengthen cooperation in support of each other’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, while advancing sustainable development aligned with long-term national interests.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan are bound by deep historical, cultural and spiritual affinities. Our partnership is rooted in trust and shared aspirations for peace and prosperity in the region,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said during the talks.
President Mirziyoyev, expressing satisfaction over the trajectory of bilateral relations, said the relationship had entered a “new phase of strategic cooperation” driven by enhanced political dialogue and people-to-people contacts.
The leaders reviewed progress made since the Prime Minister’s visit to Uzbekistan in February 2025 and welcomed the increasing frequency of high-level engagements, including meetings on the sidelines of multilateral fora. They reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining regular political dialogue at all levels.
On economic cooperation, both sides reiterated their resolve to achieve the ambitious bilateral trade target of US$2 billion by 2029, recalling that Uzbekistan was the first Central Asian country to sign both a Transit Trade Agreement and a Preferential Trade Agreement with Pakistan.
“We see immense untapped potential in trade, investment, and industrial cooperation. Our goal is to translate political goodwill into tangible economic outcomes,” the joint declaration noted.
The leaders welcomed progress on expanding the Preferential Trade Agreement, signing of a Bilateral Investment Treaty, and efforts to align sanitary and phytosanitary measures and mutually recognize standards. They also agreed to promote joint ventures in pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, agriculture, minerals, and engineering goods, alongside enhanced e-commerce cooperation.
Connectivity featured prominently in the discussions. Both sides welcomed the signing of the Framework Agreement for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project and unanimously endorsed the Termiz–Kharlachi route. They reaffirmed their commitment to early completion of the project, recognizing its importance for regional integration and economic development.
Pakistan reiterated its readiness to provide Uzbekistan access to its seaports and international-standard road network for transit trade, while both sides committed to the early operationalization of the Multimodal Transport MoU.
In the cultural domain, Pakistan and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their shared civilizational heritage rooted in the legacy of the Silk Road. The leaders welcomed the signing of an agreement on the preservation and promotion of Baburid heritage and pledged to expand cooperation through cultural festivals, academic exchanges, and heritage conservation.
“Our shared history is not just a memory of the past but a foundation for future cooperation, regional harmony, and intellectual growth,” President Mirziyoyev said.
The two leaders also expressed satisfaction over growing cooperation in higher education, media, and tourism, noting the commencement of direct flights between Tashkent and Islamabad and Lahore. They agreed to activate the Tourism Working Group and develop a joint tourism promotion plan.
On security and defence, both sides agreed to maintain regular dialogue, expand cooperation between law enforcement agencies, and jointly combat terrorism, extremism, separatism, and drug trafficking.
At the multilateral level, Pakistan and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their commitment to the UN Charter and pledged mutual support for each other’s initiatives and candidatures in international organizations. Uzbekistan congratulated Pakistan on its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2025–26) and expressed full support for Pakistan’s chairmanships of the SCO and ECO.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional issues, emphasizing peace and stability in Afghanistan and calling for concrete actions against terrorism emanating from Afghan territory.
President Mirziyoyev thanked the government and people of Pakistan for their warm hospitality and invited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to visit Uzbekistan, an invitation the Prime Minister accepted.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday invited Uzbek business firms to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s textile, pharmaceutical, mining, agriculture, and tourism sectors, as private sector entities from both countries signed MoUs worth $3.4 billion for B2B cooperation.
The prime minister, addressing the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum held here along with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is on a two-day state visit here, said that both sides had signed a protocol on Friday to achieve an “ambitious yet easily achievable” target of increasing bilateral trade to $2 billion in five years.
At the forum attended by the ministers and businessmen from both sides, the two leaders assured the investors to provide a conducive business environment with no room for systemic hurdles.
Both leaders welcomed the B2B deals with the Uzbek president, calling it “very much achievable” because both sides had a very good program already drafted and established.
“I am here, of course, as Prime Minister of Pakistan, but for this forum as the CEO of Pakistan. I am just a telephone call away. My colleagues are just a telephone call away. We will remove any bottleneck or impediment on the way.
And I would like to assure you that bureaucracy and red tapism will not create any kind of hurdle in your business proposals,” Prime Minister Shehbaz committed.
Recalling his participation in a similar business forum last year in Tashkent, he said the deliberations there had led the bilateral trade to $450 million during the last year, which was still far below the potential.
He expressed the hope that President Mirziyoyev’s visit would go a long way to strengthen bilateral relations and convert them into a level of unprecedented economic cooperation.
Referring to the signing of $2 billion trade protocol, he said that Pakistan-Uzbekistan relations would now be measured by trade flows, investment projects, industrial partnerships and people-to-people exchanges.
He said both countries would form a working group to come up with a roadmap of five years to promote trade, investment portfolio, and joint collaborations in research and development, IT, and agriculture.
Highlighting his government’s achievements on the economic front, he said the country had transitioned from a period of severe physical turbulence in 2023 to an improved economic conditions with the inflation rate down from over 30% to a single digit, banking policy rate from 22.5% to 10.5%. and IT sector exports are touching $3.8 billion exports.
Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan and Uzbekistan stood to benefit immensely from each other’s strengths in key sectors.
He also appreciated the economic achievements of President Mirziyoyev’s government including doubling of GDP in just 10 years, lifting 8.5 million people out of poverty and unemployment reduced by half.
The prime minister said 30 redundant textile plants in Uzbekistan could provide a win-win opportunity for investors from both sides and expressed the hope that PIA flights to Uzbekistan would boost people-to-people contact.
In his remarks, President Mirziyoyev said that the business forum reflected the long-standing shared intentions and deep mutual understanding.
He congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz and the people of Pakistan on the remarkable economic progress with reduced inflation, single-digit interest rates, and strong recovery which he said provided excellent opportunities for deeper cooperation.
Calling the business community a “true bridge” between two nations, he said that through the $2 billion trade protocol, both sides had committed to zero corruption, no bottlenecks, and no obstacles.
He said Uzbekistan needed Pakistan’s expertise and high-quality in the pharmaceutical sector, affordable medicines and offered 10-year tax exemptions, support, and all conducive conditions.
He told the gathering that Uzbekistan had around 30 high-tech textile enterprises awaiting Pakistani management and expertise to access world markets, and also expressed his country’s strong interest in collaborations in leather goods.
Regarding mining cooperation, he said Uzbek relevant ministry was ready to finalize action plans and that his country had a growing demand for rice, potatoes, processed meat and was open to joint ventures, land allocation, and cooperation in seed production.
The Uzbek president said that four weekly flights were operating from Uzbekistan to Pakistan and more routes would boost people-to-people and business links.
He invited Pakistani businessmen to visit Uzbekistan to study opportunities, develop plans, and start operations, assuring all necessary support.
Later, the two leaders also witnessed the exchange of the documents of pre-signed MoUs between the business entities from both sides.
