ALMATY: Pakistan and Kazakhstan have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral economic ties, expanding trade and exploring new investment opportunities during a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the Tian Shan Forum in Almaty.
The meeting took place between Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin and Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan?
Pakistan’s Federal Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh highlighted the importance of promoting business-to-business (B2B) contacts, encouraging greater private-sector participation and improving banking mechanisms to facilitate trade and investment between the two countries.
He identified significant investment opportunities in e-commerce, warehouse development, textiles and minerals, emphasizing Pakistan’s expertise in the textile industry and Kazakhstan’s relatively low-cost energy as attractive prospects for Pakistani investors.
Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh also called for the early implementation of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed during President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Kazakhstan in February, stressing the need to translate these agreements into tangible economic benefits.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister expressed interest in a visit by Pakistan’s Prime Minister to Kazakhstan and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations. He highlighted the importance of increasing bilateral trade and said a five-year roadmap had been developed to advance cooperation between the two countries.
He also pointed to Pakistan’s market of approximately 250 million people as an important opportunity for Kazakhstan, while noting that Pakistan could use Kazakhstan as a gateway to the wider Eurasian market.
The Kazakh deputy prime minister further stressed the need to establish direct air links between the two countries to facilitate business activities, trade and people-to-people contacts.
He also informed the Pakistani delegation that Kazakhstan’s foreign minister would visit Pakistan to participate in a meeting related to preparations for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Both sides expressed their commitment to transforming bilateral relations into a stronger economic partnership through improved air connectivity, effective implementation of existing agreements and greater private-sector engagement.
