The visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Mr. Elyor Ganiev, called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi this evening. The Deputy Prime Minister conveyed greetings and good wishes of the Uzbek Foreign Minister. The Foreign Minister outlined Pakistan’s vision for deeper engagement with Central Asia and the importance of Uzbekistan in this context.

During the delegation-level talks, the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and considered proposals to further enhance mutual trade, defence cooperation, energy collaboration and regional connectivity.

Both sides agreed to intensify endeavours for enhancement of bilateral economic relations through joint ventures in mutually identified areas including agriculture, textile, automobile, fisheries and IT sectors. They also reviewed implementation of the decisions taken during the previous interactions held between the leadership of the two countries, especially the most recent on the sidelines of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing this year. The two sides also agreed to increase the frequency of high-level exchanges between the two countries.

The Uzbek side gave a detailed briefing on the transport Railway Corridor –Uzbekistan-Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar. The Foreign Minister appreciated the briefing and lauded its potential benefits for regional countries. The Uzbek side also indicated its readiness to participate in the CASA-1000 Electrical Transmission Project.

Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiev arrived in Islamabad, today, for a two-day visit from 27-28 May 2019. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation including the Uzbek Deputy Ministers for Transport, Railways, and Foreign Investment & Trade as well as other senior officials.

Earlier during the day, the Deputy Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.