ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Uzbekistan are all set to sign a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement on Thursday (July 15) to enhance the trade volume between the two countries. 

Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, has left for Tashkent (Uzbekistan) yesterday (Tuesday). He was accompanied by officials of the government and a large business delegation. The ministry of commerce has said that both the countries would sign a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement during the visit. Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also In-charge Minister for Commerce, would witness the signing ceremony. 

Meanwhile, the 6th session of Pakistan-Uzbekistan Joint Ministerial Commission will be held today (Wednesday) followed by the Pakistan-Uzbekistan “Silk Route Reconnect” Business Forum on 15-16 July 2021. As part of MOC’s “Silk Route Reconnect Policy”, Pakistan will provide Uzbekistan access to its seaports & beyond and Pakistan will get access to the Central Asian Republics & beyond. 

Trans-Afghan Railway Line Project will be a first step in linking Central Asian transport network with Pakistani seaports

Officials have informed that Transit Trade Agreement would allow the passage of commodities in vehicles in Uzbekistan and its border points with other Central Asian Republics (CARs) including rail and road. Meanwhile, Pakistan would also offer same facilities to Tajikistan except for India. They further said that Transit Trade Agreement would be governed under the Convention of Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers). Earlier on April 30 this year, the first-ever shipment under the Convention on the International Transport of Goods for traffic-in-transit of goods across the border had left for Uzbekistan from Pakistan via the Torkham border customs station. Islamabad signed the Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) in August 2015, which is a multilateral treaty that entails no payment of customs duties and taxes. Pakistan ratified the convention in January 2016. 

In April 2021, the first Virtual Summit between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was held. During the wide-ranging talks, views were exchanged on bilateral, regional and international issues. The two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations — with particular focus on political, trade, security and defence, educational and cultural domains. Prime Minister Imran Khan had underlined the importance of enhancing political and diplomatic linkages, fast tracking trade and economic cooperation, ensuring early finalization of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and Transit Trade Agreement (TTA), increasing security and defence cooperation, and taking steps to deepen mutual collaboration in the fields of education, culture and tourism.

The Prime Minister highlighted Pakistan’s economic security paradigm and the shifting focus to geo-economics. He stressed that Central Asia was a region of particular focus in this vision. 

The level of progress on the Trans-Afghan Railway Line Project, agreed between Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan earlier this year, was reviewed. The project would be a first step in linking the Central Asian transport network with Pakistani seaports of Gwadar, Karachi and Port Qasim. Prime Minister Imran Khan stated that, once completed, the initiative would transform the geo-economic dynamics of the entire regime. President Mirziyoyev reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Imran Khan to attend the high-level International Conference on regional connectivity, to be held in Tashkent in July. 2021.