ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday left for a two-day official visit of Turkmenistan, where he is scheduled to lead delegation level talks and hold a one-on-one meeting with Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov.During the visit, a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) pertaining to trade, bilateral cooperation and economy will also be signed be signed by the leaders.The Turkmen president will moreover host a dinner in honour of PM Nawaz.The PM is also scheduled to visit Bishkek and Kyrgyztan tomorrow.In a pre-departure statement, PM Nawaz said that Pakistan attaches great significance to strengthening its relations with Central Asian nations. He added that the government’s vision is to increase trade, energy, road and rail links with Central Asian states.

Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan, Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi are accompanying PM Nawaz on his visit.

Recently, Pakistan signed 51 MoUs with China, six MoUs with Sri Lanka and four with Maldives with the aim of the government to enhance bilateral relations with other Asian countries.