Ambassador Alisher Tukhtaev: Expanding trade and economic ties – a top priority in the Uzbekistan-Pakistan dialogue

The prominent Pakistani magazine «Pakistan In The World» has published an interview with the Ambassador of Uzbekistan Alisher Tukhtaev.

At the outset of the interview, Ambassador underscored the dynamic advancement of the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, alongside the intensification of high-level political dialogue in recent years. Particular emphasis was placed on the outcomes of the state visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Pakistan on February 5-6 of the current year.

Special focus was dedicated to the core aspects of trade and economic cooperation. According to the Ambassador, the volume of bilateral trade has demonstrated an impressive nearly twelvefold increase over the past eight years, culminating in 475 million USD as of January 1, 2026. Recognizing this substantial momentum, the sides have outlined a strategic objective to elevate the mutual trade turnover to 2 billion USD in the near term.

It was underscored that the active Preferential Trade Agreement between the two nations serves as a robust framework, providing vital tariff preferences and driving systematic efforts to expand the nomenclature of traded goods. Furthermore, the Ambassador emphasized the paramount strategic significance of the Trans-Afghan Railway project, which is envisioned as a transformative transport corridor destined to seamlessly connect Central and South Asia.

In the tourism sector, the simplification of the visa regime for citizens of Pakistan was highlighted as a key driver for the substantial growth in tourist exchanges, notably including pilgrimage and family travel. Concurrently, it was reported that “Uzbekistan Airways” and “Centrum Air” jointly operate six weekly flights between the two nations, providing robust passenger connectivity.

Furthermore, the prospects of comprehensive cooperation in the fields of education, medicine, pharmaceuticals and humanitarian exchanges were thoroughly examined.