Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 17 December 2020, in the format of a video conference, negotiations were held between the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov with the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Trade, Textile Industry and Investments of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Abdul-Razakom Dawood.

During the talks, the sides discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, investment and transport and logistics spheres, as well as the implementation of joint projects of regional importance.

Mutual interest was expressed in further increasing the volume of mutual trade, in connection with which an agreement was reached on the adoption of specific measures to speed up the process of negotiating a preferential trade agreement.

Significant prospects for cooperation between the countries were identified in the transport and communication sphere. In particular, the special significance of the construction of the railway on the route "Mazar-i-Sharif - Kabul - Peshawar" was emphasized and further actions were outlined to promote this initiative.

An agreement was also reached on the joint development of agreements aimed at creating favorable conditions for the movement of road carriers of the two countries through the territories of Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

The role of the Uzbek-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, as well as the Uzbek-Pakistani Business Council, as effective platforms for jointly resolving issues of bilateral cooperation was emphasized. In this context, organizational issues related to the holding of meetings of the Uzbek-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission and the Business Council in Uzbekistan in the first half of 2021 were discussed.

The parties agreed to organize a visit of a delegation of Uzbekistan led by the leadership of the Ministry of Transport, MIFT and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Pakistan, during which it is planned to visit the cities of Karachi and Gwadar to study the infrastructure of seaports and agree on organizational and technical issues of their use for transshipment of Uzbek goods.

As a result of the video conference, further steps were outlined within the framework of interaction in the designated areas of cooperation, and an agreement was reached on organizing the visit of the adviser to the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Abdul-Razak Dawood to Uzbekistan in January 2021. Within the framework of the visit, representatives of Pakistani business will also visit Uzbekistan, whose purpose will be to establish partnerships with Uzbek entrepreneurs.