Meeting between Foreign Secretary and Uzbekistan delegation held

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua met an Uzbek delegation headed by Ikramov Adham Ilhamovich, former Vice Prime Minister and present Chairman of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

According to foreign office statement, Mr. Ikramov stressed the importance of Pakistan’s membership of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Uzbek delegation underscored the need -for enhancing bilateral trade between the two countries especially in the fields of pharmaceuticals, energy and leather goods. The Uzbek side also emphasized the need for enhancement of tourism between the two countries that share immense cultural, religious and social ties spanning over decades.

Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua highlighted the cordial relations between the two countries ever since Uzbekistan’s independence and conveyed Pakistan’s desire for enhanced cooperation in all fields, particularly energy, agriculture, connectivity and human resource development.

Foreign Secretary thanked Uzbekistan for its support of Pakistan’s joining the SCO. She reiterated historical, cultural and social linkages between the two countries and expressed the desire that the full potential of this multi-faceted relationship will be realized.

The Foreign Secretary welcomed the resumption of flights on Tashkent-Lahore sector which has improved connectivity and would help enhance economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts and tourism.

The Uzbek delegation thanked the Government of Pakistan for hosting them and for providing them with the opportunity to witness the Pakistan Day parade due to be held on the 23rd of March. The Uzbek delegation is in Islamabad to participate in a conference titled “Pakistan-A land of Opportunity for the Central Asian Republics” being organized under the auspices of NSD and Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CDSS).