Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister

Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan and Kazakhstan enjoy strong fraternal relations and are keen to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in multiple areas of mutual interest.

On Tuesday, he expressed these views during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, and the Foreign Secretary were also present at the meeting.

The Prime Minister welcomed Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister on his first visit to Pakistan and conveyed his best wishes for Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

He stated that Pakistan and Kazakhstan share strong fraternal ties and that both countries have a mutual desire to further strengthen cooperation in numerous fields of common interest.

The Prime Minister expressed Pakistan’s willingness to enhance bilateral trade, investment, connectivity (through air, rail, and road links), and people-to-people contacts with Kazakhstan. He said that the upcoming visit of the Kazakh President to Pakistan would be of great significance.

The Prime Minister also offered to send a delegation to Astana to finalize various Memoranda of Understanding and agreements currently under consideration.

Both sides have been holding regular discussions in this regard for several months, and it is expected that important MoUs and agreements will be signed during the Kazakh President’s visit later this year.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister thanked the Prime Minister for the warm hospitality and briefed him about his detailed discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar.

He expressed the view that President Tokayev’s upcoming visit to Islamabad would be highly historic and successful, ushering in a new era in Pakistan-Kazakhstan relations.