Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 18 February 2022, a videoconference was held between the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISMI) and the Center for South Asian and International Studies of Pakistan on the topic: "Central and South Asia: Policies and measures to strengthen cooperation in trade and regional security."

During the online dialogue, experts from the two countries discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Uzbek-Pakistani relations as part of the process of restoring interregional interconnectedness between the states of Central and South Asia.

Opening the webinar, Deputy Director of the ISMI under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sanjar Valiev noted that recently cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan has grown significantly and has acquired a qualitatively new form - a strategic partnership. This was primarily due to a significant increase in the intensity of political contacts between the two countries at the highest and high levels.

“As a result, we see the dynamic development of trade and economic ties, the expansion of cooperation in the cultural, humanitarian and educational spheres, and interaction in security issues,” he said.

Thus, being strategic partners, Uzbekistan and Pakistan are especially interested in establishing lasting peace and stability in neighboring Afghanistan. Therefore, the parties are making significant efforts in this direction.

Sanjar Valiyev noted that the signing of a trilateral agreement (Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan) on the implementation of the Trans-Afghan Transport Corridor was an important event. According to him, “this unique infrastructure project will help to radically increase the transit potential of Central Asia, attract significant cargo flows, and also revive the historical role of the region as a bridge connecting Europe and Asia by the shortest land route.

Assessing the current state of Uzbek-Pakistani cooperation, Director of the Center for South Asian and International Studies Mahmoud Ul Hassan Khan noted that thanks to the joint efforts of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, a fundamentally new dynamics of bilateral relations in all areas of cooperation has been observed in recent years.

“There are many points of contact between the interests of both states in a wide range of areas of practical cooperation in the political, economic, scientific and technological, cultural, humanitarian and other fields. This serves as a significant factor in the development of interstate relations, strengthening mutual understanding and cohesion between the two countries and peoples,” the expert emphasized.

At the same time, Mahmoud Ul Hassan Khan emphasized that thanks to the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, today the regions of Central and South Asia are moving towards a prosperous future through the integration of trade, economic and transport and transit ties within the framework of large-scale interregional interconnectedness.

The Pakistani expert pointed out that the trade turnover between the two countries had already grown 1.5 times last year. The successful holding of the first Uzbekistan-Pakistan Business Forum in Tashkent in 2021 opened a new window of opportunity for private companies from both sides. The event brought together more than 300 representatives of the business circles of the two countries. As a result of the forum, 71 bilateral documents were signed, including investment contracts and trade agreements worth more than $500 million.

It was noted that at present business circles are actively implementing joint projects for the production of pharmaceuticals, chemical goods and textile products. A number of important projects and programs are being worked out in the field of industry, education and culture.

The political scientist believes that the creation of conditions for trade, as well as the development of the transport and transit potential of the two regions, will contribute to the further development of export potential. Efficient transport infrastructure is an urgent need so that goods loaded from the seaports of Karachi and Gwadar can be easily and smoothly delivered to Uzbekistan.

Complementing his colleague regarding the strengthening of interconnectedness between Central and South Asia, the expert of the Center for South Asian and International Studies Akhtar Nawaz emphasized the joint efforts and practical actions of Tashkent and Islamabad to restore historical interregional interconnectedness.

In his opinion, a significant role in the strategic rapprochement of the two regions is played by the similarity of the development priorities of Uzbekistan and Pakistan, as well as the positions of the parties on many topical issues of the regional and international agenda. He also highly appreciated the cooperation of Uzbekistan and Pakistan to assist in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and preventing a humanitarian crisis in that country. In this context, regional interconnectedness is important for establishing long-term peace on Afghan soil and the region as a whole.

In turn, the President of the Center for South Asian and International Studies, Khalid Amir Jafri, during his speech on security cooperation, dwelled on the production and drug trafficking in Afghanistan.

According to the expert, in 2021, 85-90% of the world’s illicit heroin production was concentrated in Afghanistan. In 2021, the proceeds from illegal drug trafficking in the IRA were between $1.8 billion and $6.6 billion, representing between 6% and over 11% of the country’s GDP.

In order to combat drug trafficking, according to Khalid Amir Jafri, it is necessary to develop a policy at the regional level to combat drug trafficking and terrorism. In his opinion, the tracking and confiscation of assets coming to the banks of the countries of the region from illegal drug trafficking should be one of the directions of bilateral and multilateral regional cooperation.

Touching upon the broader agenda of bilateral relations, the head of the ISMI department, Alisher Kadyrov, noted that it is necessary to constantly look for new ways of partnership in various fields.

“First of all, attention should be paid to expanding economic ties,” he stressed.

According to the expert, it is necessary to actively promote cooperation in agriculture, the textile industry, mechanical engineering, and the IT sector. This process should be accompanied by a regular business dialogue, both at the government level and between the business community of the two countries.

According to him, the development of relations with the states of Central Asia meets the goals of Pakistan to develop its transit and port potential by attracting new countries to use it.

Summing up the results of the online video conference, the experts noted that this event will contribute to the further development of the conceptual foundations for closer cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, filling the bilateral agenda with specific projects in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, increasing the effectiveness of the reforms carried out in our countries and raising the level of well-being of peoples.