Pakistan highly values its close fraternal relations with Uzbekistan anchored in shared history, culture and religion

ISLAMABAD   -   Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has reiterated his resolve to strengthen ties with Uzbekistan through enhanced interaction between parliaments of both countries and cooperation in trade and investment sectors.

He said that Uzbekistan was of immense importance to Pakistan as it could serve as a gateway to Central Asia and beyond due to its geographical location. Speaker Asad Qaiser was talking to Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Furqat Sidiq who called on him on the sidelines of the 48th OIC Foreign Ministers Conference.

The speaker said that Pakistan highly values its close fraternal relations with Uzbekistan anchored in shared history, culture and religion. He said that Uzbekistan was a leading trading partner of Pakistan in the Central Asia and extending cooperation in diverse sectors would further boost economic activity for mutual benefit of both the countries. He invited Uzbekistan to join economic activity generated through CPEC. He said that Parliament would extend all out support to pave way for enhancing Uzbek trade and investment in Pakistan.

Speaker Asad Qaiser said that Pakistan remains deeply committed to the eternal Islamic virtues of amity and brotherhood. He further said that Promoting solidarity and cooperation between members of the Islamic Ummah is an element of faith for us and remains foundational to our foreign policy. He stressed for joining hands for joint efforts to counter Islamophobia and myriad across the Islamic Ummah.

The Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Furqat Sidiq congratulated Speaker on Pakistan’s distinct privilege to host the 48th FM Conference in Islamabad. He said that it was indeed pleasure that the session coincides with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s independence. He said that quantum of bilateral trade had witnessed an upward momentum during recent times. He agreed that Uzbekistan could serve as gateway to Eurasian markets for Pakistani trade. He agreed that immense economic potential exists in both the countries. He expressed his satisfaction on the excellent bilateral relations and exchange of high level parliamentary and executive level visits between both the countries.

Later, Foreign Minister of Bosnia & Herzegovina Ms. Bisera Turkovic called in Speaker Asad Qaiser on sidelines of the OIC FM conference.

The Speaker while talking to the Bosnian Foreign Minister said that Pakistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina are brotherly countries that enjoy close and cordial relations. He said that people of Pakistan harbor enormous goodwill for Bosnia & Herzegovina and its people. He said that Pakistan remains fully committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia & Herzegovina and any attempt to destabilize Bosnia & Herzegovina would have grave consequences for the peace and security of the region. He said that Pakistan abhors aggression and supports resolution of disputes through peaceful means.

Underlining the need for regular parliamentary and executive level contacts between both the countries, the Speaker said that these contacts were of immense importance. He also underlined the need for enhancing bilateral trade between the two countries which was far below the true potential. He said that Pakistan offers tremendous opportunities for investment and has one of the most investor-friendly environments in the region and would welcome joint ventures with Bosnian companies in various fields.

Bosnian Foreign Minister Ms. Bisera Turkovic appreciated sentiments of the Speaker and said that her country deeply acknowledges support of Pakistan to its territorial integrity. She said that recent crisis in Europe has posed several internal and external threats to her country. She said that high level contacts between parliaments and executives of both the countries would bring both the countries closer. She congratulated Pakistan for hosting OIC FMs conference which would help in bringing Muslim ummah together to counter common challenges.

She invited Speaker to visit Bosnia along with a Parliamentary delegation.