Islamabad: President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House and held extensive bilateral meetings aimed at strengthening Pakistan-Kazakhstan relations.
President Tokayev was accorded a warm welcome upon his arrival, followed by an official welcome ceremony during which he inspected the Guard of Honour. The two leaders held a one-on-one meeting, which was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces. This was followed by delegation-level talks involving key cabinet ministers and senior officials from both sides.
During the talks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed President Tokayev's visit a historic milestone in bilateral relations, noting that it marked the first visit by a Kazakh President to Pakistan in 23 years. The two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and expressed satisfaction over the growing frequency of high-level exchanges and the effective functioning of institutional mechanisms, including Bilateral Political Consultations and the Joint Intergovernmental Commission.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in political, economic, defence, and people-to-people domains. The Prime Minister highlighted the steady growth in bilateral trade in recent years while stressing the need to fully realize its untapped potential. The two leaders agreed to enhance bilateral trade to USD 1 billion within the next two years and emphasized the importance of increased private sector engagement. They welcomed the convening of the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum as a positive step towards this goal.
The leaders also underscored the need for closer collaboration on regional connectivity and transport linkages, including road, rail, air, and maritime cooperation. Emphasis was placed on the importance of transit trade arrangements and regional corridors in promoting economic integration and shared prosperity.
Cooperation in education, culture, tourism, and energy also came under discussion, with both sides recognizing the value of academic exchanges and people-to-people contacts in strengthening long-term bilateral relations.
Reaffirming their commitment to further deepen ties, the two leaders expressed confidence that the outcomes of the visit-including the signing of 37 memoranda of understanding and agreements, as well as a Joint Declaration on the 'Establishment of Strategic Partnership'-would open new avenues of cooperation.
President Tokayev thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation and invited the Prime Minister to visit Kazakhstan at a mutually convenient time before the end of the year. The Prime Minister accepted the invitation and reiterated Pakistan's desire to work closely with Kazakhstan for regional peace, connectivity, and development.
To advance economic cooperation, the two leaders agreed to establish a Working Committee comprising senior ministers and relevant officials from both countries to devise a five-year roadmap for expanding bilateral trade and economic ties.