President Asif Ali Zardari hands over the Nishan-e-Pakistan to his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a special investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif looks on. Photo: APP
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Wednesday agreed to elevate their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, marking a major diplomatic milestone during Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Pakistan after 23 years.
The understanding was formalized through a joint statement signed in Islamabad during President Tokayev’s two-day visit (February 3-4) at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The leaders described the visit as historic, opening a new chapter of cooperation rooted in long-standing cultural and fraternal ties.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference, noting that Pakistan was among the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991. They expressed satisfaction with the steady growth of bilateral relations since the 1992 Declaration on Principles of Relations.
Under the strategic partnership, Pakistan and Kazakhstan agreed to deepen cooperation across eight priority areas: political dialogue, security and defence, trade and investment, transport and logistics, education and information technology, culture and tourism, climate change and environmental coordination and cooperation in regional and international forums.
Trade and connection
The two countries pledged to significantly improve trade, investment and regional relations with the goal of a bilateral trade volume of US$1 billion within the next year. They also agreed to promote a multi-country transport corridor linking Central and South Asia.
“We have agreed that the Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan transport corridor will improve regional connectivity,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said during a joint press conference with President Tokayev.
The prime minister encouraged business on both sides to invest in joint ventures, noting that despite strong political ties, the existing trade volume of $250 million last year does not reflect the full potential of the partnership. “With joint efforts, both sides can achieve significant progress,” he added.
Memorandums and agreements
The leaders witnessed the exchange of 37 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) across sectors including finance, trade, industry, transport, energy, health, culture, security, education, media, science, technology, climate change and agriculture. President Tokayev singled out transport and logistics as a priority area and emphasized projects to expand trade flows and improve connectivity, including Pakistan’s ports of Karachi and Gwadar as potential gateways for trade in Central Asia.
Both sides also agreed to explore resumption of direct air links to promote business, tourism and people-to-people contact.
Working committee
Pakistan and Kazakhstan agreed to establish a working committee comprising senior ministers and officials to prepare a roadmap for expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation over the next five years. Both leaders expressed confidence that the results of the visit, including the signing of the joint declaration and 37 MoUs, would open up new opportunities for cooperation.
Commemorative plaques and infrastructure
During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Tokayev unveiled plaques for mutual sports and education centers. The prime minister also offered Pakistan’s deep-sea ports at Gwadar and Karachi as trading posts for Central Asian states, underlining plans to expand rail and road links via Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. “This project will be a game-changer and transform economic integration not only between our two countries but across the entire region,” he said at the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum.
