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ISLAMABAD, Feb 05 (APP): Pakistan and Uzbekistan Thursday signed an agreement to enhance their existing bilateral trade to two billion dollars in the next five years.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the bilateral trade protocol for increasing trade and economic cooperation.
In his remarks during the agreement and protocol signing ceremony, the Prime Minister welcomed the Uzbek President and his delegation.
He said, “We are extremely delighted to have you and your delegation in Islamabad – your second home. This is your second visit to Pakistan in four years time.”
He congratulated the President of Uzbekistan for being awarded the doctorate degree of philosophy and the title of professor by National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) for his meritorious services, unwavering dedication and commitment to serve people of Uzbekistan and his contribution in promoting peace, prosperity, and progress in the neighbouring countries.
The Prime Minister conveyed heartfelt congratulations to the Uzbek President for receiving the highest civil award of Nishan-e-Pakistan for his great services and contribution to strengthen the brotherly relations and commitment to convert these ties into economic cooperation and for increasing trade and investment in various sectors of the two countries.
He said the President of Uzbekistan was the most suitable person for the highest award of Pakistan.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan had deeply rooted historical, spiritual and cultural relations. The two countries were connected by ancient Silk route and had ties spanning centuries, he noted.
He said the Mughal legacy originating from the valley of Fergana and the intellectuals of Samarkand etched deep marks on Pakistan’s history.
“These historical facts provide a sound foundation for strong ties,” he said and expressed deep sense of gratitude for the Uzbek leadership’s vision and commitment to take the bilateral ties to new heights.
He recalled the warmth and affection showered upon him and his delegation by the Uzbek leadership during his visit to Uzbekistan in February last year.
“Memories of the visit remain fresh in my mind,” he added. He said, “Today the two sides held inaugural meeting of the high level Strategic Cooperation Council and this structured mechanism will go a long way in boosting engagement.”
He said they agreed to work very closely for regional connectivity as the proposed Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan rail project will become a game changer for the entire region.
“We are ready to raise funds for the project on the basis of feasibility and business plans,” he continued.
Calling the Uzbek President a man of action, he said, “The signing of the bilateral protocol is a great manifestation of the commitment to enhance and expand economic cooperation in fields of agriculture, industry, tourism, information technology, textile and pharmaceuticals.”
The two countries will establish a joint working group, he said adding, from Pakistan side the working group will be led by Haroon Akhtar to chart out a five year plan to expand business activity and increase economic cooperation and trade.
“We also agreed to hold quarterly meetings to review progress and performance of the working group,” he noted.
He said he and the President of Uzbekistan will chair meetings of the working group during their next bilateral visits.
On behalf of people and government of Pakistan, he thanked the Uzbek leadership for announcing construction of Babur Park in Islamabad in memory of the Mughal emperor.
He said Uzbekistan was also a member of the Board of Peace and together with other countries and under the chairmanship of President Trump, they will strive for lasting peace in Palestine and for reconstruction of Gaza. “We are hopeful that the issue of Palestine will be resolved and peace will be restored.”
He thanked the Uzbek President for his support for the cause of Kashmir.
The resolution of issues of Kashmir and Palestine were imperative for long lasting peace, he stressed.
In his remarks, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked NUST for conferring the degree of doctorate and title of professorship on him.
He said it was a historic day for him and he will always remember this day as an occasion when he was bestowed with such great honour.
President of Uzbekistan thanked the Prime Minister for extending warm welcome and providing highest level of hospitality.
He said he will acknowledge the award of degree by NUST by establishing a chair of NUST within the University of Mining in Uzbekistan.
The university in Uzbekistan will be collaborating with NUST for new scientific discoveries and to train scholars and for start ups and businesses, he explained.
He said the collaboration between universities of the two countries will include exchange of faculty members and students for joint research on cyber security, artificial intelligence and other fields of science.
The Uzbekistan president acknowledged receiving the highest award of Nishan-e-Pakistan with “profound gratitude”, adding the award was reflective of the broadening relations, cooperation and Pakistan’s respect for the people of Uzbekistan.
He said his delegation held detailed discussions with the Pakistani side on all major issues and the talks focused on security, defence, economic and political facets, trade and investment.
He said meeting of the high level council and agreement to set up working groups was a major development and his country was keen to achieve results on the basis of pledges made during talks.
He said Pakistan was a rapidly developing country, had achieved good economic growth and was a time tested, reliable partner and closest friend of Uzbekistan in South Asia.
He said it was agreed to name a road of Islamabad as Tashkent Street and this step was a clear sign of friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.
He thanked the Prime Minister for accepting the suggestion to build Babur Park in Islamabad and Fergana village.He said his country will deliver these two projects and the park will be a place for families to spend their leisure time and get familiar about the friendship of the two countries.
He said the world was facing complex and turbulent times and lot of problems and underscored the need to uniting efforts and forming coordinated plans on regional and international issues and for helping the people of Palestine who were bearing acute suffering.
He congratulated on the upcoming grand celebration of Pakistan in March and on the start of holy month of Ramazan which is a sacred period for the Muslim Ummah.
Earlier, Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a number of accords aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in diverse fields including defence, agriculture, trade, industry, culture, education, disaster management, pharmaceuticals and others.
The MoUs were signed during the two-day state visit of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who arrived here hours ago, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Both the leaders witnessed the ceremony held at the PM House, as ministers and officials from both sides exchanged the documents of the accords.
Among the key pacts, a Memorandum of Understanding between Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority and Uzbekistan’s Agency for Pharmaceutical Industry Development was signed to enhance cooperation in pharmaceutical products and regulatory functions.
An MoU on cooperation in sports and physical culture was signed between the Pakistan Sports Board and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Sports.
To enhance trade ties, Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Uzbek Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov signed a Protocol on the Expansion of the List of Goods under the Preferential Trade Agreement, along with an Agreement for the Establishment of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Inter-regional Forum, aimed at strengthening regional and business-to-business cooperation.
In the defence sector, Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Uzbek Minister of Defence Shukhrat Khalmukhammedov signed an Action Plan for Defence Cooperation. The two sides also concluded a Memorandum of Understanding in the fields of Ecology, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as an MoU on Mutual Cooperation in Disaster Management, underscoring growing collaboration in non-traditional security areas.
An Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors was signed between the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Uzbekistan. The document was signed by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary on behalf of Pakistan and Abdulaziz Kamilov, Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on Foreign Policy, representing the Uzbek side.
In the field of information technology and digital cooperation, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan and the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan was signed by Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan. The agreement aims to promote collaboration in digital infrastructure, innovation and technology exchange.
In the field of agriculture and food security, a cooperation agreement was signed between Pakistan’ Ministry of National Food Security and Research and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture. Additional protocols were also concluded on plant protection and phytosanitary requirements for agricultural exports.
In the area of trade facilitation and maritime cooperation, an MoU was signed to promote maritime trade and preferential port arrangements at the ports of Karachi, Gwadar and Qasim.
Agreements were also signed to promote industrial cooperation and small and medium enterprises.
Several MoUs focused on culture, heritage and education, including agreements on preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and cooperation between national heritage and culture institutions.
Both sides also inked MoUs between academic and research institutions, including the University of Peshawar and Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, and between leading strategic and regional studies institutes of the two countries.
Agreements were also concluded to strengthen municipal and business cooperation, including partnerships between Peshawar and Termez city administrations, Islamabad and Samarkand city administrations, and the establishment of an Uzbekistan-Pakistan Joint Business Council between the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and its Uzbek counterpart.