At the conclusion of the negotiations, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif signed the Joint Declaration aimed at further developing and strengthening the multifaceted Uzbekistan-Pakistan cooperation, as well as the protocol on establishing the Supreme Council of Strategic Partnership between the two sides. This was reported by the President's press service here.
The following documents were exchanged in the presence of the leaders of the two countries during the visit:
- Agreement on cooperation in the field of science, technology, and innovations;
- Agreement on visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders;
- Agreement on cooperation between the ministries of internal affairs;
- Agreement on cooperation in the field of vocational education;
- Agreement on cooperation in the field of youth policy;
- Agreement on cooperation between the national information agencies;
- agreements and understandings on cooperation between diplomatic academies, and between the cities of Tashkent and Lahore, among other documents.
In a meeting with media representatives, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif gave comments on the outcomes of the negotiations.
At the beginning of his speech, the Head of our state noted that the meetings were productive, and emphasized that this historic visit opens a new page in the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
The President of Uzbekistan highly appreciated the rapid development of bilateral cooperation in recent years. The volume of trade turnover exceeded 400 million dollars, 130 joint ventures were established, and trade houses were opened in Karachi and Tashkent. Air communication between Tashkent and Lahore was restored.
The Intergovernmental Commission is operating effectively, political consultations, a number of business events, and the Uzbekistan industrial exhibition were successfully held.
- These days, a prestigious delegation consisting of leading companies from Pakistan is in our capital. Today, we will hold a separate meeting with business representatives to discuss joint plans, - said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
During the high-level negotiations, the parties identified new "growth points" for multifaceted cooperation and agreed on the establishment of the Supreme Council of Strategic Partnership.
The focus was on significantly increasing and diversifying the volume of mutual trade, strengthening industrial cooperation, developing transportation connectivity, supporting and creating favorable conditions for businesses.
The importance of advancing projects in pharmaceuticals, the agricultural sector, agricultural machinery manufacturing, geology and mineral resources, textiles, leather industry, and other sectors, and exporting finished products to third-country markets was emphasized.
The continuation of close relations and mutual support within the framework of global and regional structures, including the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and others, was agreed upon.
The similar positions on diplomatically resolving the situation in Afghanistan, the issue of Palestine, were highlighted.
Furthermore, both sides expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the field of security, combating terrorism, transnational crime, the illegal circulation of drugs, and other contemporary threats.
Special attention was paid to developing exchanges in the fields of culture-humanitarian aspects and tourism. Agreements were reached on mutually holding culture and art festivals, and increasing the flow of tourists, including within the frame of the "Umrah plus" program.
In conclusion, the adoption of a comprehensive "roadmap" by the governments of the two countries to promptly and effectively implement the agreements and contracts reached was emphasized.
