ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic on July 7 agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation and explored opportunities in trade, energy, connectivity, political and commercial cooperation, culture, education, people-to-people exchanges, and progress on the CASA-1000 Project.President Asif Ali Zardari, accompanied by a high-level delegation, met with President Sadyr Zhaparov Nurgozhoevich of the Kyrgyz Republic on Tuesday during an official visit to Kyrgyzstan. President Zardari’s visit underscores the enduring friendship and time-tested relations between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, based on common faith, shared history and cultural affinity. The meeting was preceded by an official welcoming ceremony held in honour of the President of Pakistan at the Rukh Ordo Cultural Centre.
During the meeting, both leaders discussed ways to further deepen the brotherly relations. They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and explored opportunities in trade, energy, connectivity, political and commercial cooperation, culture, education, people-to-people exchanges, and progress on the CASA-1000 Project, highlighting the potential for expanding economic, cultural, inter-parliamentary and strategic partnership.
President Zardari recalled the Kyrgyz President’s recent state visit to Pakistan in December 2025, the first visit by a Kyrgyz President to Pakistan in two decades, saying that the visit had imparted fresh momentum to bilateral relations and resulted in the signing of 16 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs). He said that Kyrgyzstan occupies an important position in Pakistan’s “Vision Central Asia” policy.
President Zardari also congratulated the Kyrgyz President on the country’s historic election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–2028 term. The president said that Pakistan looked forward to continued close coordination with the Kyrgyz Republic at the United Nations, the OIC, the ECO, the SCO and other multilateral platforms. He added that enhanced parliamentary, defence, security and strategic policy exchanges to build greater mutual understanding on regional and global developments would be welcomed. Both sides exchanged views on a range of important regional and international developments and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to promoting peace, stability and progress through dialogue.
A memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) was signed by Kyrgyz Minister of Health Damirbek Osmonov and Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Mukhtar Bharath. A joint statement was later signed by the two presidents on the occasion. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Mukhtar Bharath, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Dr Asim Hussain, the President’s spokesperson Murtaza Solangi, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan were also present during the meeting. The meeting was followed by an official reception hosted by the Kyrgyz President in honour of the President of Pakistan. Meanwhile, a joint statement was issued and was signed by President Zardari and President Sadyr Zhaparov. At the invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Zhaparov, the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, paid an official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic from July 6-9, 2026. Reaffirming their aspiration to establish a strategic partnership between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, President Asif Ali Zardari and President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov emphasised the particular importance of deepening trade, economic and investment cooperation.
According to the joint statement signed by both heads of state, the leaders held talks in an atmosphere of traditional friendship, mutual trust and understanding, and noted with satisfaction the steady development of Kyrgyz-Pakistani relations. The presidents reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties, implementing agreements reached during the Kyrgyz President’s December 3-4, 2025 visit to Pakistan, and strengthening political dialogue, parliamentary, governmental and diplomatic cooperation. They also emphasised expanding trade, economic and investment collaboration towards a strategic partnership. The heads of state instructed the governments, relevant ministries and agencies of the two countries to intensify joint efforts to implement the agreements reached and take practical measures aimed at developing trade, investment activity and business ties. The two sides agreed to enhance business-to-business links, joint ventures and cooperation in energy, particularly through the CASA-1000 Project, while expanding collaboration in mining, agriculture, textiles, halal industry, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, digital economy, tourism and banking. They also stressed the importance of stronger transport connectivity between Central and South Asia through Pakistan’s seaports, multimodal routes and regional transit corridors. Both countries agreed to deepen cooperation in education, culture, tourism, health and people-to-people exchanges, while strengthening joint efforts against terrorism, organised crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime and other security challenges.
The leaders condemned terrorism and reaffirmed cooperation through the UN, SCO, OIC, ECO and other forums to promote regional peace and security. Pakistan supported Kyrgyzstan’s SCO chairmanship priorities, while both sides agreed to maintain close coordination during Pakistan’s upcoming SCO and ECO chairmanships.
The leaders opposed unilateral economic and financial sanctions, saying they undermined global food and energy security and hindered the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov thanked Pakistan for supporting Kyrgyzstan’s election as a non-permanent UN Security Council member for 2027-2028, while President Asif Ali Zardari congratulated Kyrgyzstan and reaffirmed cooperation at the UN. Kyrgyzstan appreciated Pakistan’s role in promoting international peace and security during its UNSC term, while Pakistan acknowledged Kyrgyz support for UNSC Resolution 2823 (2026). The Kyrgyz Republic invited Pakistan to participate in the VI World Nomad Games from August 31 to September 7, 2026, which Pakistan accepted with plans to send an official delegation and sports teams. Both leaders expressed confidence that President Zardari’s visit would further strengthen bilateral ties, while President Zardari invited Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov to visit Pakistan, with dates to be finalised through diplomatic channels.
