ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan agreed on Wednesday to raise their bilateral trade volume to $200 million within two years, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, as the two countries signed a wide-ranging package of agreements during his visit to the Kyrgyz capital.
According to an official statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), PM Sharif received a red-carpet welcome and a guard of honor. The prime minister was received by President Zhaparov and the national anthems of Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan were played as the two leaders stood at the salute dais.
A contingent of Kyrgyz armed forces presented the guard of honor. The two leaders then introduced their respective delegations before beginning their meeting.
PM Sharif arrived in Bishkek on Aug 31 to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State Summit and the SCO Plus meeting. Pakistan has assumed the SCO chairmanship for 2026-27.
Trade target set
PM Sharif told a joint press conference alongside Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov that the two governments had committed to lifting trade nearly thirteenfold from its current level, according to Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
Bilateral trade currently stands at around $16 million, a figure the prime minister described as disproportionately low given the strength of relations between the two countries.
The two sides agreed to pursue a comprehensive plan to expand trade mechanisms, encourage joint investment, deepen industrial cooperation and increase direct contact between businesses in both countries.
PM Sharif called on financial institutions from both nations to deepen engagement in support of the target, as reported by APP.
Agreements signed
The two leaders signed a joint statement outlining priorities for future cooperation, according to the PMO. A total of 16 agreements and memorandums of understanding were exchanged in a ceremony at the presidential palace in Bishkek.
The two countries finalized a transit trade accord intended to facilitate cross-border commercial movement, along with an extradition treaty and a draft agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
The interior ministries of both countries signed a memorandum on combating narcotics trafficking, while Kyrgyzstan's health ministry and Pakistan's Medical and Dental Council agreed to cooperate on medical education.
Additional memorandums covered cooperation in education, environmental and climate policy, and academic research between defense-linked institutions in both countries.
Regulatory authorities overseeing virtual assets in Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan also agreed to cooperate in that sector, as did the postal services and chambers of commerce of the two countries.
Lahore and the Kyrgyz city of Osh were declared sister cities under a separate agreement, the prime minister's office said.
Energy and connectivity
Both leaders identified the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, which is intended to connect Central Asian power supplies with rising demand in South Asia, as a priority for continued cooperation.
The two sides agreed to establish a joint working group on energy covering electricity, hydropower and renewable sources.
PM Sharif thanked the Kyrgyz president for progress made on completing the Kyrgyz section of the pipeline project.
The prime minister said connectivity between South and Central Asia remained central to the two countries' economic vision and welcomed the newly signed transit trade agreement as a step toward improving regional logistics.
Both sides also stated they were committed to a separate four-country transit agreement and agreed to simplify customs procedures, the same report said.
Regional and international issues
PM Sharif congratulated Kyrgyzstan on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-28 term.
President Japarov, in turn, congratulated Pakistan on assuming the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) chairmanship.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in Afghanistan in the context of regional peace and security. Both sides agreed to cooperate against terrorism and extremism and to deepen coordination on climate and environmental issues.
Diplomatic momentum
President Japarov noted that the visit followed his own state trip to Pakistan in December and a visit to Kyrgyzstan by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in July, according to a statement from the Kyrgyz presidency.
He stated that the pace of high-level exchanges reflected “a high degree of mutual trust” between the two governments.
“Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan intend to maintain regular political coordination through the United Nations, the SCO, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organisation,” the statement said.
Cultural exchanges and memorial visit
Earlier in the day, PM Sharif laid a wreath at the Ata Beyit memorial complex in Bishkek and recited fatiha (first chapter of the Holy Quran) at the grave of Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
He was received at the site by Kyrgyzstan's first deputy prime minister, Daniar Amangeldiev, and Culture, Information and Youth Minister Mirbek Mambetaliyev.
The prime minister praised the country's cultural heritage and called for continued efforts to strengthen historical and cultural ties between the two nations.
Officials from both sides also highlighted Pakistan's participation with a large delegation at the ongoing World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan.
Farewell
At the conclusion of the visit, President Japarov personally drove PM Sharif to Bishkek's airport, a gesture Pakistani officials described in a statement as reflective of the closeness between the two countries.
PM Sharif extended an invitation to Japarov to visit Pakistan, which the Kyrgyz leader accepted, according to APP.