Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari arrived at Issyk-Kul International Airport in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for an official visit, where he was received by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, the Pakistani presidency said.

President Zardari was presented with a guard of honour upon arrival, marking the start of a high-level visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, according to a statement from the presidency.

The visit makes President Zardari the first Pakistani head of state to visit Kyrgyzstan since former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s visit in 1995, and is seen as a step toward sustaining high-level engagement between Islamabad and Bishkek.

President Zardari and President Japarov are expected to hold talks covering the full range of bilateral relations and to review cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade, investment, energy, mining, agriculture, education, healthcare, tourism, the digital economy and people-to-people exchanges.

Regional connectivity and measures to strengthen ties between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan are also expected to feature in the discussions, the statement said.