PM Shehbaz urges joint effort to boost Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan commerce
Business
Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have announced plans to enhance trade, connectivity and investment during high-level engagements in Islamabad.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Kyrgyz business leaders and Pakistani industrialists can work together to create new opportunities for trade and economic growth.
He made the remarks while addressing the Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum in Islamabad, where he welcomed the arrival of a high-level Kyrgyz delegation visiting Pakistan after a gap of two decades.
The prime minister expressed the desire for the two countries’ business communities to undertake reciprocal visits at least once every year in order to accelerate economic cooperation. He told participants that regional connectivity projects remain central to unlocking new markets, describing the proposed railway initiative involving China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as a significant economic opportunity for the wider region.
Shehbaz Sharif said that Karachi and Gwadar could offer Kyrgyzstan valuable access to seaports, supporting the country’s outreach to global trade routes. He noted that around 8,500 Pakistani students are currently enrolled in medical programmes in Kyrgyzstan, reflecting expanding people-to-people ties.
He added that Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to raise their bilateral trade volume to 200 million dollars. Work on cultural programmes between the two nations, the prime minister said, will begin soon in both countries.
PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong support for the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, stating that Pakistan’s segment of the initiative would be completed in the near future. He also highlighted the Special Investment Facilitation Council as a one-window platform for investment in Pakistan, noting attractive opportunities across multiple sectors.
He said that measures were under way to strengthen training in information technology and artificial intelligence to encourage greater participation in modern industries.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said he was pleased to visit Pakistan and observed that bilateral relations were gaining strength. He reaffirmed Kyrgyzstan’s full support for Pakistan’s sustainable development goals and emphasised the vast potential for expanding trade between the two countries.
President Japarov said improved logistical connectivity could enable both nations to reach global markets more efficiently. He noted that Kyrgyzstan could serve as a bridge for trade between South Asia and Europe, adding that the country’s GDP had doubled over the past five years.
