The Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday that Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a two-day state visit to Pakistan from February 5-6.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Uzbek president would meet President Asif Ali Zardari, hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and address the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum during his stay.

“Discussions will focus on reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in diverse sectors including trade, energy, defence, education, people-to-people exchange and regional connectivity,” the FO said.

He will lead a high-level delegation, comprising senior ministers and business leaders,

The FO said it would be his second visit to Pakistan, reflecting which the “upward trajectory” in Pak-Uzbek bilateral relations and the brotherly ties between the two countries that were rooted in common history, faith and “common aspirations for peace and prosperity in Central and South Asia”.

Pakistan and Uzbekistan enjoy strong diplomatic and economic relations, with the leaders of both countries frequently visiting each other to further strengthen bilateral ties.

Earlier this week, Pakistan and Uzbekistan agreed to accelerate efforts to raise bilateral trade to $2 billion as the 10th session of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation concluded in Islamabad.

Both sides expressed satisfaction over steady progress in bilateral engagement and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding trade, investment and economic cooperation. They underscored the importance of the preferential trade agreement, welcomed progress under Phase-II concessions and agreed to expedite institutional mechanisms to achieve the $2b trade target.

The discussions emphasised trade facilitation, logistics improvement, customs digitalisation, transit trade cooperation, development of regional trade corridors and enhanced business-to-business engagement, alongside improved visa facilitation for business communities.