KARACHI: Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official residence in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks with Pakistan’s top political leadership on bilateral trade, cooperation and regional connectivity, with both sides expected to sign several memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
Tokayev arrived in Pakistan a day earlier on a two-day official visit as landlocked Kazakhstan seeks access to maritime trade routes through Pakistan’s southern ports on the Arabian Sea. Islamabad, meanwhile, has been positioning itself as a regional transit hub, with an emphasis on improving physical connectivity with Central Asian states.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar called on the Kazakh president earlier in the day to welcome him to the country.
“Welcoming him to Pakistan, DPM/FM extended warm greetings from the President, Prime Minister, Government and people of Pakistan,” the foreign office said in a social media post.
It said Dar underscored Pakistan’s appreciation for the growing momentum of high-level political exchanges and reaffirmed a shared commitment to expand bilateral cooperation across political, economic and people-to-people domains, while working together for durable peace, stability and development in the region.
