ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is scheduled to address the 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Tashkent on Thursday and attend a reception arranged in the honor of the leaders of participating countries, confirmed his office in Islamabad.
The ECO, an intergovernmental organization, was established by Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye in 1985 and has since expanded its membership to include Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries.
Kakar arrived in Uzbekistan on Wednesday to discuss issues related to enhanced trade and regional connectivity.
“The Prime Minister will meet the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev,” said the PM Office while sharing his schedule for the day. “Bilateral relations of Azerbaijan and Pakistan, regional and global issues will be discussed in the said meeting.”
“The Prime Minister is also expected to visit the historical city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he will go to the shrine of Hazrat Imam Bukhari,” the statement added.
The Pakistani premier has already held meetings with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and ECO Secretary-General Khusrav Noziri since his arrival in the Central Asian country.
The meetings reviewed the recent developments under the purview of ECO, especially in the domain of trade, connectivity and economic cooperation.
The Pakistan PM also expressed satisfaction at the growing level of bilateral cooperation during his meeting with the Uzbekistan president while emphasizing the importance of sustaining the momentum.
The regional forum aims to utilize the economic potential of its member states that collectively form a mammoth market of over 500 million people by creating increased trade and investment opportunities.
Pakistan PM to address 16th ECO Summit in Tashkent, discuss regional connectivity
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Pakistan PM to address 16th ECO Summit in Tashkent, discuss regional connectivity
- PM Kakar has met the Uzbekistan president and will hold a meeting Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev
- The prime minister is expected to visit Samarkand today where he will go to Imam Bukhari’s shrine
Pakistan offers Kyrgyzstan Arabian Sea access as two states sign 15 cooperation accords
- Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan sign MOUs spanning trade, energy, agriculture, ports, education, security cooperation
- Kyrgyz president is on first visit to Pakistan in 20 years as both sides push connectivity and CASA-1000 power links
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday offered Kyrgyzstan the shortest and most economical route to the Arabian Sea as the two countries signed 15 agreements and memoranda of understanding aimed at boosting cooperation across trade, energy, agriculture, education, customs data-sharing and port logistics.
The accords were signed during a visit to Islamabad by President Sadyr Zhaparov, the first by a Kyrgyz head of state to Pakistan in two decades, and part of Islamabad’s renewed push to link South Asia with landlocked Central Asian economies through ports, power corridors and transport routes.
For Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan offers access to hydropower through CASA-1000, a $1.2 billion regional electricity transmission project designed to carry surplus summer electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan. For Bishkek, Pakistan provides overland access to warm-water ports on the Arabian Sea, creating a shorter commercial route to global markets.
“President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to offer Kyrgyzstan the shortest and most economical route to the Arabian Sea,” Radio Pakistan reported after Zhaparov met the Pakistani president.
The two leaders also discussed expanding direct flights to deepen business, tourism and people-to-people ties.
Zardari welcomed Kyrgyzstan’s completion of its segment of the CASA-1000 project and “reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to completing its part of the project, which is now at an advanced stage,” the state broadcaster said.
Zhaparov thanked Islamabad for supporting Bishkek’s candidacy for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat and invited Zardari to visit Kyrgyzstan at a time of his convenience. Both sides expressed satisfaction with progress under the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement, designed to facilitate road movement between Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and China.
Earlier, both governments exchanged 15 sectoral cooperation documents covering commerce, mining, geosciences, power, agriculture, youth programs, the exchange of convicted persons, customs electronic data systems and a sister-city linkage between Islamabad and Bishkek.
According to APP, the MOUs were signed by ministers representing foreign affairs, commerce, economy, energy, power, railways, interior, culture, health and tourism. Agreements also covered cooperation between Pakistan’s Foreign Service Academy and the Diplomatic Academy of Kyrgyzstan, as well as collaboration between universities, youth ministries and cultural institutions.
“Our present mutual trade, comprising of about $15–16 million will be enhanced to $200 million in the next two years,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said after the agreements were signed, calling them “a framework for structured, result-oriented engagement and closer institutional linkages.”
Sharif said Pakistan was ready to serve as a maritime outlet for the landlocked Central Asian republic, offering access to Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar to help Kyrgyz goods reach regional and global markets.
