ISLAMABAD: A senior Kyrgyz official has expressed his country’s desire to enhance physical connectivity with Pakistan, said an official statement released by the economic affairs ministry in Islamabad on Tuesday, while specifically mentioning the utilization of Pakistan’s southern seaports to bolster the trade potential of his landlocked state.
Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan established diplomatic relations in 1992, shortly after the Central Asian country gained independence from the Soviet Union. Over the years, both states have signed a number of bilateral agreements to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, education, culture and tourism.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are also central to a regional energy project, CASA-1000, which aims to facilitate the transmission of electricity from Central Asian countries to South Asian states.
The Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Baisalov Edil Zholdubaevich, confirmed his country’s plan to closely cooperate with Pakistan at the 4th Inter-Governmental Commission’s meeting in Bishkek on November 10 which was attended by Pakistan’s interim energy minister Muhammad Ali.
“In his opening remarks, the Deputy Chairman ... emphasized the Kyrgyz Republic’s interest in utilizing the potential of Pakistani seaports, Karachi and Gwadar, given country’s lack of direct access to the open sea,” said the economic affairs ministry’s statement. “He underscored that this would provide the shortest access to Central Asian countries and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to the open sea.”
In response, the Pakistani minister applauded the trade surge between the two sides from $1.14 million in 2017 to $11.23 million more recently.
“Underscoring collaboration in the energy sector, the Minister reaffirmed its crucial role in mutual growth,” the statement added. “Stressing the importance of the CASA-1000 regional project, he emphasized the commitment from both sides for its expeditious completion to realize shared goals.”
Additionally, he highlighted Pakistan’s interest in fostering cooperation for a bilateral e-commerce platform, recognizing the Kyrgyz Republic’s growing role as a logistics and e-commerce hub.
According to the official statistics, over 15,000 Pakistani students are pursuing higher education in the Kyrgyz Republic and there is also a growing influx of tourists to the Central Asian country.
Pakistan has been making efforts to develop closer connectivity with Central Asian states. Officials in Islamabad have been engaged in discussions and cooperation with Central Asian states to enhance trade, economic ties, and transportation links.
These efforts are driven by the desire to tap into the economic potential of Central Asia and facilitate the movement of goods and energy resources between the two regions.
Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar urged the Central Asian economies last week to increase intra-regional trade while addressing an Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Uzbekistan.
He noted that the region had immense potential that still needed to be unlocked for shared economic prosperity.
