In his opening speech, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sanjar Valiyev outlined key areas for further development of relations between the two states in the new conditions.

According to him, thanks to the efforts of the leaders of the countries, cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan has recently increased significantly. This is confirmed by the increased intensity of political contacts at the highest and high levels, trade and economic ties, cultural, humanitarian and educational exchanges.

During the visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to Uzbekistan in July 2021, he stressed, the heads of state signed a Joint Declaration on the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries, which recorded an important historical milestone and the mutual desire of the parties to continue long-term systemic interaction.

The basis for these processes is the initiative put forward by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to restore connectivity between Central and South Asia. “Thanks to the presented conceptual vision of the prospects for interregional connectivity, cooperation between the countries of the two regions has entered a new era,” the analyst emphasized.

In his opinion, “such trends provide the Uzbek-Pakistani cooperation to a qualitatively new level”. Thus, both sides give priority to expanding the transport and communication component of cooperation to intensify trade and economic exchanges. An important event in this regard was the signing of a trilateral agreement (Uzbekistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan) on the implementation of the “Trans-Afghan transport” corridor.

As Valiyev emphasized, this unique transport and communication project will help to radically increase the transit potential of Central Asia, attract significant cargo flows, and also revive the historical role of the region as a bridge connecting Europe and Asia by the shortest land route. It will also ensure the deep integration of all Central Asian countries into global economic and trade chains.

According to the expert, along with cooperation in trade, economic, transport and logistics areas, the parties are interested in consistently building up cooperation in such areas as education, culture and tourism. “The cultural, spiritual and religious closeness of Uzbekistan and Pakistan is the basis for strengthening friendship, trust and mutually beneficial cooperation”, he said.

In conclusion, the ISRS Deputy Head emphasized that the development of multifaceted and practically oriented cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan will contribute to stability and security in the two regions, and will also effectively achieve sustainable development goals. In this regard, the intensive dynamics of the meetings between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan set the right pace for the pragmatic rapprochement of the two countries.

The scientific online conference was jointly organized by ISRS and the Center for Global & Strategic Studies of Pakistan on February 15, 2022. The event was attended by professors from Peshawar and Punjab universities. The Uzbek side was represented by experts from ISRS, Center for Economic Research and Reforms, Institute of Arts and Culture, Institute for Research of the Youth Problems and Training Prospective Personnel, International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan and Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.