ISLAMABAD: Kyrgyz President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov will hold talks with Pakistan’s leadership in Islamabad today, Thursday, with both sides expected to push for progress on a long-delayed transit trade pact and expand cooperation on energy, connectivity and regional transport corridors, Pakistan’s foreign office said.
The trip, the first by a Kyrgyz head of state to Pakistan in 20 years, comes at a time when the two governments are seeking to lift annual trade from under $10 million to a long-discussed target of $100 million and revive regional power projects stalled for years. Islamabad is looking to open overland routes into Central Asia, while Bishkek seeks access to ports that link into South Asia’s consumer markets.
Zhaparov arrived in the capital on Wednesday and will hold one-on-one and delegation-level talks with Pakistani leaders today and address the Pakistan–Kyrgyzstan Business Forum, where private firms are expected to join discussions on trade and logistics.
Central to the talks is the Pakistan–Kyrgyzstan Transit Trade Agreement, which both sides describe as key to scaling cross-border commerce.
“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 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev on Wednesday.
