- Nawaz calls on Nazarbayev, Mirziyoyev soon after his arrival in Astana
- Kazakh deputy minister warmly receives Pakistan delegation at airport
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday arrived here in Kazakhstan to participate in 17th meeting of the Heads of State Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being held in Astana.
At the airport, the prime minister and first lady Begum Kulsoom Nawaz were warmly received by Kazakh Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Akylbek Kamaldinov. Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir and State Minister for Petroleum Jam Kamal accompanied the prime minister.
Talking to Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev during a call on here after his arrival, Prime Minister Nawaz hoped that the outcome of the ongoing SCO Summit would result in paving the way for cooperation and economic prosperity of the people of the region.
During the bilateral meeting, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to cooperation with Kazakhstan in energy sector, regional connectivity and human resource development. He underscored the need for enhancing trade between the two countries, which was much less than the potential.
He thanked President Nazarbayev for invitation to participate in the SCO Summit and congratulated him on hosting the summit. He also thanked the host president for the warmth and hospitality extended to him and his delegation.
In another meeting with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Prime Minister Nawaz said that Pakistan cherished its close, friendly and fraternal relations with Uzbekistan, as both the countries were bound by strong commonalities of history, faith and culture.
The prime minister proposed that both the countries should work together for making appropriate reforms in trade policies to facilitate trade, investment and free flow of goods and services between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.