Pakistan, Uzbekistan vow to boost bilateral trade

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday vowed to attract leading companies in pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, production of construction materials and agriculture industries.

The decision was taken during the sixth meeting of the Uzbek-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, which was held in Tashkent.

Adviser to the Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood co-chaired the meeting, while Fareena Mazhar, secretary of the Board of Investment (BoI), and other senior government officials of Pakistan participated in the meeting.

The two sides agreed on the importance of further increasing bilateral trade and investment, in partnership between the public and private sectors, and involving the relevant chambers of commerce, as well as export development and investment promotion agencies of both the countries.

Increasing the frequency of official visits and bilateral mBeetings (virtual and/or physical) between the representatives of the respective private sectors to explore major development projects and investment opportunities was the highlight of the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission.

Both countries exchanged information on the results of the socioeconomic development in Uzbekistan and Pakistan in recent years. In addition, the future prospects for the development of bilateral trade and economic, investment and scientific-technical cooperation between the two countries were also discussed.

Both sides decided to hold meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission on an annual basis and hold the next meeting in Islamabad. Specific dates will be negotiated through diplomatic channels in the near future.