ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday agreed to accelerate work on a long-delayed transit trade agreement that both sides say is essential for raising bilateral commerce to $100 million, according to a statement by the foreign office in Islamabad.
The development came as Kyrgyz President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov arrived in Islamabad earlier in the day for a two-day state visit, the first by a Kyrgyz president to Pakistan in 20 years, according to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan. He was received by Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and accorded a 21-gun salute.
The two countries have been seeking to deepen economic and energy cooperation, with Pakistan looking to secure new trade corridors through Central Asia and Kyrgyzstan aiming to expand access to South Asian markets. A major element of their collaboration is CASA-1000, a regional electricity transmission project designed to export surplus hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The multibillion-dollar initiative has been long delayed by instability but is central to regional energy integration plans.
“We noted with satisfaction the convening of a business forum and expressed hope that early finalization of the Transit Trade Agreement will help achieve the bilateral trade target of $100 million,” the foreign office said after Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev in Islamabad.
