The meeting of the Uzbek-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission was held in Tashkent

On February 24, at the International Business Center, under the co-chairmanship of the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov and the Minister of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Iskhak Dar, the 8th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan was held. The heads of key ministries, departments and industry associations of the two countries also took part in its work. This was reported by the press service of the MIIT.

As the part of the agenda, a wide range of issues of trade, economic, investment, industrial, transport and logistics cooperation and interaction in the field of tourism were considered.

It was noted that thanks to the efforts of the Heads of the two states, relations between Uzbekistan and Pakistan are characterized by positive and sustainable development dynamics, which creates prerequisites for expanding cooperation in priority areas.

The significant progress achieved in the field of investment and industrial partnership between the two countries was emphasized. The number of enterprises created in Uzbekistan with the participation of Pakistani capital has increased 6 times over the past 5 years to 207 units. The most promising areas for further expansion of cooperation are pharmaceuticals, light industry, and the production of building materials. In each of the designated areas, subgroups will be formed to support and resolve issues related to the implementation of investment projects.

In addition, the great potential for developing cooperation in agriculture, science, technology and tourism was voiced.

Particular attention during the meeting was paid to mutual trade. Its volume in 2022 increased by 32% to $239.5 million. Concrete measures have been approved to increase trade to $1 billion. In the context of this, it was agreed to hold the Uzbek-Pakistani exhibitions of industrial products “Made in Uzbekistan” and “Made in Pakistan” on a reciprocal basis, approve a joint plan of targeted measures, introduce tools to support traders and practical solutions to increase the volume of bilateral trade.

During the meeting, the heads of ministries and departments of the two countries, in the format of presentations, outlined promising visions for the further development of cooperation in the context of industries and areas. The voiced proposals were substantively considered, the format of cooperation for the promotion and practical implementation of the initiatives put forward was determined.

The discussion was summed up by the signing of the final protocol of the meeting, which reflected the key agreements reached during the event.