Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed 28 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on Thursday to strengthen cooperation in areas including trade, information technology, agriculture, defence, climate change, sports, culture, pharmaceuticals, and counter-narcotics.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a joint declaration during a ceremony at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad.

The leaders also oversaw the exchange of agreements and MoUs between the relevant ministers of both countries.

The agreements included a MoU between the foreign ministries of Pakistan and Uzbekistan for cooperation from 2025 to 2028, an agreement to establish an inter-regional forum, a protocol for expanding the list of goods under the Preferential Trade Agreement, and arrangements for the exchange of convicted persons. Other agreements covered cooperation in the IT sector, pharmaceuticals, drug prevention, mining, geosciences, food security, plant protection, defence, disaster management, culture, and sports.

Officials who signed agreements included Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister of Commerce Jam Kamal, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Federal Minister Aurangzeb Khichi, Minister of Agriculture Rana Tanveer, Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Minister of Health Mustafa Kamal, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar, among others, alongside their Uzbek counterparts.

The agreements also involved academic and strategic institutions, city administrations, and business councils, including MoUs between the University of Peshawar and Tashkent University of Oriental Studies, the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Committee of Uzbekistan, and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Uzbek counterparts to establish a Pakistan-Uzbekistan Joint Business Council.

Uzbekistan’s president’s arrival

Earlier on Thursday, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Islamabad to a red carpet welcome for a two-day state visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

As the Uzbek president, accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet ministers and business leaders, landed at Nur Khan Airbase from his special aircraft, he was warmly welcomed by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the PM Haroon Akhtar were also present.

Clad in traditional Pakistani dresses, two children presented bouquets to the guest as a 21-gun salute boomed in the backdrop to herald the arrival of the Uzbek president.

A smartly turned out contingent of the Pakistan armed forces presented a static salute, and the tri-services band also delivered an impressive performance.

The children attired in traditional dresses were lined up, waving the flags of Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

This is the second visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Pakistan, which reflects the upward trajectory in Pak-Uzbek bilateral relations and the brotherly ties between the two brotherly countries, rooted in common history, faith and common aspirations for peace and prosperity in Central and South Asia.