ISLAMABAD: Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Murat Nurtleu will arrive in Pakistan from Sept. 8-9 to explore opportunities to enhance bilateral trade, investment and connectivity with the country, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Sunday. 

Pakistan’s increasing cooperation and push to enhance trade with Central Asian states is part of its “Vision Central Asia” policy. This policy is based on Islamabad improving its bilateral cooperation in politics, trade, investment, energy and connectivity, security, and people-to-people contact with the Central Asian Republics.

Pakistan has sought to position itself as a transit hub for landlocked Central Asian Republics. This week, Pakistan’s maritime affairs minister discussed joint ventures with Kazakh Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin as part of Islamabad’s efforts to boost trade through joint ventures at the Gwadar and Karachi ports. 

“Mr. Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will undertake an official visit to Pakistan from 8 — 9 September 2025,” the foreign office said in a statement. 

It added that the visit would serve as a precursor to the upcoming visit of Kazakhstan’s president, which is scheduled to take place in November 2025.

The foreign office said Nurtleu will be accompanied by a high-level 13-member delegation, which would include Kazakhstan’s transport minister. It said the joint working groups’ meetings on agriculture and information technology will also be held on the sidelines of the visit.

The foreign office said the Kazakh envoy will hold meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari during his Pakistan visit. 

“The discussions will provide an opportunity to review preparations for the upcoming Presidential visit and to deliberate comprehensively on the entire spectrum of Pak-Kazakh bilateral cooperation,” the foreign office said.

“With particular focus on trade and investment, agriculture, education, cultural and tourism exchanges, regional connectivity and logistics and collaboration at multilateral fora,” the foreign office added. 

The foreign office said Nurtleu’s visit will further cement the longstanding ties between the two nations and contribute to deepening bilateral engagements in diverse fields.

The visit reflects Pakistan’s growing desire to forge trade and economic partnerships with Central Asian countries, especially as it seeks to achieve sustainable economic growth after narrowly escaping a sovereign default in 2023.