ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Uzbekistan are expected to sign agreements in multiple sectors today, Wednesday, during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Tashkent for talks on defense, energy and trade.

Sharif landed in Tashkent late Tuesday following a two-day visit to Baku during which multiple agreements to enhance cooperation in the trade, energy, tourism and education sectors were signed. 

Pakistan is seeking to leverage its strategic position as a key trade and transit hub to connect the landlocked Central Asian republics to the global market. Since last year, there has been a surge in visits, investment talks and other economic activity between Pakistan and the Central Asia republics.

On Wednesday, Sharif arrived at the Congress Center in Tashkent where he was received by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ahead of bilateral talks.

“The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and the President of Uzbekistan, His Excellency Shavkat Mirziyoyev, will attend the signing ceremony of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries across multiple sectors,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. 

Sharif and the Uzbek president will also participate in the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Joint Business Forum and engage in discussions. Sharif is also scheduled to visit the Tashkent-based Technopark, where he will tour Uzbekistan’s industrial manufacturing units. 

Uzbekistan is the largest consumer market and the second-biggest economy in Central Asia. It is central to Pakistan’s regional connectivity plans and was the first Central Asian nation with which Pakistani officials signed a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) and a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) covering 17 items.

A landmark moment in the relationship was the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership during a high-level Pakistani visit to Uzbekistan on July 15-16, 2021. This was followed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Pakistan on March 3-4, 2022, which resulted in the signing of another Joint Declaration on Further Steps to Enhance the Strategic Partnership and multiple agreements covering trade, investment, and economic cooperation.

In February 2023, Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a $1 billion trade deal to enhance bilateral commerce, facilitating the exchange of goods and services. In 2021, bilateral trade surged by 50 percent and in 2024 it exceeded $400 million, moving closer to the goal of reaching $500 million in the short term and $1 billion in the long term.

Last month, Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Alisher Tukhtaev, announced plans to launch direct flights between Uzbekistan and Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi. Uzbekistan and Pakistan are also working toward optimizing cargo flows, green corridors at border customs points, and digitalization of customs clearance processes to facilitate smoother trade operations.