Pakistan, Uzbekistan to initiate talks for enhancing economic cooperation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Uzbekistan will initiate negotiations to enhance bilateral trade and economic ties and cooperation in various fields during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Tashkent, a statement released by the Board of Investment (BoI) said.

It said the Uzbekistan and Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation would be held on July 14, 2021 added.

Adviser to the Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood and Board of Investment secretary Fareena Mazhar will participate in the IGC from Pakistan’s side.

The 6th session of the Intergovernmental Commission is to be held in the atmosphere of strategic and economic partnership between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the issues of bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including the development of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, would come under discussion.

Both the countries will also negotiate the development of cooperation in the fields of agriculture, education, science and technology, tourism, information and communication technologies and improving housing and communal services.

Pakistan and Uzbekistan will also negotiate extending the bilateral cooperation between different major cities for cultural, labour relations, migration management, standardisation and metrology, transport, communications and cooperation in youth affairs.

The Intergovernmental Commission focuses on establishing close collaboration for the post-Covid recovery to sustainably recover through technology, innovation and economic partnership, aiming at increased economic diversification, sustainable growth, building supply chain resilience, and robust regulatory environments.

In the meantime, talking to a private television channel, Razak Dawood said that Uzbekistan was taking interest in Gwadar for boosting business to other parts of the region.

Uzbekistan had asked Pakistan for acquiring a piece of land to establish a warehouse in Gwadar, he said, adding that as many as 100 businessmen were visiting Uzbekistan to explore the market for Pakistani products.

Pakistani food items have a potential to catch the Uzbek market, the adviser said, adding that the Transit Trade Agreement would help enhance business relations between the two countries.

About Afghanistan, he said, “We hope that [the] situation in Afghan region will be better in the near future.”

About incentives to businessmen, he said the incentives would be given to industrial sectors for promoting Pakistani products to Central Asian Republics.

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