Uzbekistan for promoting Free Trade with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Uzbekistan Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Zafar Ruziev Sharipovich on Thrusday stressed the need for promoting free trade between Pakistan and Uzbekistan to enhance trade volume between the two countries.

He was addressing the 5th session of Pakistan-Uzbekistan Joint Ministerial Commission which was chaired by Federal Minister for Privatization, Syed Naveed Qamar.

The Uzbek Minister said that the sessions of Pak-Uzbek JMC were going on positively, expressing the hope that the current session would result in further boosting trade between the two countries.

He was of the view that both the countries were having huge trade and investment potential, which needed to be exploited for the mutual benefit.

"We are working in close relations with Pakistani investors in order to fully utilize the potential areas of trade and investment", he said.

Zafar Ruziev said that Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was planning to visit Uzbekistan adding the visit would improve the bilateral relations and trade between he two countries.

On the occasion, Syed Naveed Qamar said that Pakistan and Uzbekistan were enjoying friendly relations. "We want to further deepen the relations by enhancing trade with Uzbekistan", he added.

He said tourism industry has a big potential where both the countries could jointly work to take benefit of this potential and earn foreign exchange.

Pakistan and Uzbekistan had signed a protocol to cooperate in water, power, agriculture, leather, textile, tourism and pharmaceutical sectors and to enhance bilateral trade between the two countries.

The agreement was signed in Tashkent after the conclusion of 4th session of Pak-Uzbek JMC in April 2009 and in the 5th session the two sides would also review the progress of the agreement.