Pakistan, Kazakhstan reaffirm resolve to enhance regional connectivity, economic ties

Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday reiterated resolve to deepen political and economic ties, enhance regional connectivity, and maintain close coordination ahead of the forthcoming Kazakh president’s visit in November, the Foreign Office said.

The development comes during a tête-à-tête between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Kazakhstani counterpart Murat Nurtleu, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.

The FO said the restricted meeting between foreign ministers of the friendly countries, will be followed by delegation-level talks.

DPM and FM of Kazakhstan Nurtleu arrived in the federal capital on Monday for a two day official visit. He was received at the airport by Additional Secretary West Asia Syed Ali Asad Gillani and other senior officials of the government.

Need for expanding Pak-Kazakh trade ties stressed

Nurtleu is accompanied by a high-level 13-member delegation, including the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan.

This important visit by the Kazakh FM serves as a precursor to the forthcoming visit of the president of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, scheduled in November this year.

The FO, in a curtain raiser handout, said on September 7 that Nurtleu is also expected to call on President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“The discussions will provide an opportunity to review preparations for the upcoming presidential visit and to deliberate comprehensively on the entire spectrum of Pak-Kazakh bilateral cooperation, with particular focus on trade and investment, agriculture, education, cultural and tourism exchanges, regional connectivity and logistics and collaboration at multilateral fora,” it said.