{"id":6840,"date":"2025-08-07T10:58:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wnp.com.pk\/?p=6840"},"modified":"2025-08-07T10:58:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:58:31","slug":"uzbek-envoy-unveils-bold-vision-for-strategic-ties-with-pakistan-eyes-2-bln-trade-trans-afghan-connectivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/uzbek-envoy-unveils-bold-vision-for-strategic-ties-with-pakistan-eyes-2-bln-trade-trans-afghan-connectivity\/","title":{"rendered":"Uzbek envoy unveils bold vision for strategic ties with Pakistan, eyes $2 bln trade, trans-Afghan connectivity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD, Thursday, August 7, 2025 : The Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, Alisher Tukhtaev, laid out a sweeping roadmap for deepening bilateral cooperation between the two nations during a detailed media briefing held at the Embassy of Uzbekistan on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing senior journalists and representatives of leading media outlets, Ambassador Tukhtaev highlighted the rapidly evolving nature of Pakistan-Uzbekistan relations, emphasizing the shared vision of the two leaderships to elevate ties to a \u201cnew strategic level\u201d across political, economic, cultural, and people-to-people domains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis Chancery is not just a building\u2014it is a symbol of our independent identity and strategic resolve,\u201d Tukhtaev began, adding that both countries have entered an era of \u201cmultifaceted cooperation\u201d built on shared history, religion, and mutual trust.<\/p>\n<p>The ambassador recounted the high-level visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Uzbekistan in February 2025, which led to the signing of key bilateral agreements and the establishment of a Strategic Partnership Council.<\/p>\n<p>He termed the visit a \u201cmilestone\u201d that laid the foundation for a comprehensive institutional framework, including agreements on science and technology, youth policies, vocational education, interior cooperation, and diplomatic training. A joint \u201cRoadmap\u201d has been formulated to ensure timely implementation of these agreements.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Uzbek envoy for strategic ties with Pakistan, eyes $2 bln trade, trans-Afghan connectivity\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vkUpt-tIoFk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Highlighting regional dynamics, Tukhtaev pointed to the Trans-Afghan Railway Project as a transformational initiative. A trilateral agreement involving Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan was signed in July in Kabul, marking a critical step toward connecting Central and South Asia via rail.<\/p>\n<p>With mutual trade crossing $253.7 million in the first half of 2025\u2014a 123% increase from the same period last year\u2014Uzbekistan has become Pakistan\u2019s largest trading partner in Central Asia.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Still, Tukhtaev stressed that this was \u201cjust the beginning,\u201d as both countries now aim to boost bilateral trade to $2 billion. To that end, a series of major business exhibitions and forums\u2014&#8221;Made in Uzbekistan 2025&#8243; and &#8220;Food Fest Uzbekistan&#8221;\u2014have been held in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi, resulting in deals worth over $120 million.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Trade houses have been launched in both Lahore and Karachi, and Uzbekistan\u2019s central bank officials recently visited Karachi to strengthen bilateral banking and payment channels. A Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) is also in the final stages, expected to cover over 100 commodities.<\/p>\n<p>Uzbekistan is actively seeking to access ports in Karachi and Gwadar, with plans for a trilateral transit trade agreement already in motion.<\/p>\n<p>In the cultural realm, the envoy spotlighted growing humanitarian cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. Direct flights now connect Tashkent with Islamabad and Lahore, greatly enhancing tourism and academic exchanges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur visa regime is easing, our skies are opening, and our cultures are converging,\u201d Tukhtaev noted.<\/p>\n<p>Major cultural events and exhibitions have been held throughout Pakistan\u2014from the Lok Mela Festival to Nowruz celebrations, and academic linkages between universities are growing. A notable highlight was the \u201cCentral Asia Tour 2025\u201d, launched last week by a group of Pakistani bikers traveling across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>The ambassador concluded by presenting 10 compelling reasons to invest in Uzbekistan, including a business-friendly tax regime, abundant natural resources, special economic zones, and a strategic location offering access to both Central Asian and CIS markets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are open for business, open for culture, and open for friendship,\u201d he said, inviting Pakistani investors and tourists to experience Uzbekistan firsthand.<\/p>\n<p>The media briefing concluded with an interactive Q&amp;A session, where Ambassador Tukhtaev reaffirmed Uzbekistan\u2019s commitment to strengthening ties across all dimensions with Pakistan. The next major step will be the Uzbekistan-Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission meeting, scheduled for later this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD, Thursday, August 7, 2025 : The Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, Alisher Tukhtaev, laid out a sweeping roadmap for deepening bilateral cooperation between the two nations during a detailed media briefing held at the Embassy of Uzbekistan on Thursday. Addressing senior journalists and representatives of leading media outlets, Ambassador Tukhtaev highlighted the rapidly evolving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6841,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-asia","category-diplomacy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}