- At the summit, the Prime Minister will reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment towards ECO Vision 2025.
- Met with Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
- PM Kakar and Mirziyoyev discussed bilateral relations in the meeting.
Tashkent: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Wednesday on a two-day visit to attend the 16th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
The Prime Minister and his delegation including Interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and Acting Commerce Minister Gohar Ijaz were warmly welcomed at the Tashkent airport by their Uzbek counterpart Abdullah Nigmatovich Aripov.
At the summit, the Prime Minister will reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to ECO Vision 2025 and promoting regional cooperation in the areas of trade, transport, connectivity, energy, tourism and economic growth and productivity.
Following his arrival, PM Kakkar held a bilateral meeting with President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The two leaders reiterated their resolve to quickly finalize a strategic partnership agreement to promote regional economic integration.
Bilateral relations were discussed in the bilateral meeting between PM Kakar and Mirziyoyev.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to play an active role in regional connectivity. The leaders exchanged views on deepening bilateral cooperation in a range of areas including political, trade, economic, security, defense and connectivity.
Expressing satisfaction at the growing level of bilateral cooperation, Kakar stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum. He underlined that the recent operationalization of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) will boost bilateral trade and transit trade in addition to the streamlining of the Economic Cooperation Organization Trade Agreement (ECOTA).
After this, both sides reiterated their commitment to quickly complete the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway Project.
PM Kakar and President Mirziyoyev also discussed the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and other regional and global developments.
The ECO Summit will be held from November 8 to 9, 2023.
Apart from attending the summit, the Prime Minister will also engage in bilateral discussions with the leadership of Uzbekistan and other participating leaders.
This is the first time that Premier Kakkar is attending the ECO Summit after assuming the office of Prime Minister.
Earlier, the Prime Minister had participated in the 78th UN General Assembly session in September and meetings at various other UN related fora.
