BISHKEK: Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to increase bilateral trade from around $16 million to $200 million within the next two years, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday, calling the current trade volume far below the level warranted by the two countries’ close friendship and relations.
Addressing a joint press stakeout alongside Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov after their talks, the prime minister said the two sides had agreed to move their economic partnership into a more practical and result-oriented phase by improving trade mechanisms, promoting joint investment, strengthening industrial cooperation and expanding business-to-business contacts.
He proposed converting the memorandum of understanding on trade signed during the visit into a full bilateral agreement, saying the $200 million target was achievable through closer engagement between the two countries’ business and financial institutions. The two sides also signed a transit trade agreement aimed at facilitating trade and improving logistics. Shehbaz said they had reaffirmed the importance of effectively implementing the quadrilateral agreement on traffic and transit and agreed to simplify transport, customs and administrative procedures.
Connectivity, he said, was central to their shared vision of linking South and Central Asia, with Pakistan’s seaports offering Kyrgyzstan access to South Asian and global markets, while Kyrgyzstan could serve as a gateway for Pakistan to Central Asian and wider Eurasian markets.
Energy was identified as another key pillar of cooperation. Shehbaz reaffirmed the importance of timely completion of the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project and thanked President Japarov for his efforts in completing the Kyrgyz segment. The two countries also agreed to establish a joint working group to promote cooperation in electricity, hydropower, renewable energy and energy infrastructure.
The prime minister said bilateral cooperation had also expanded in education, science and technology, health, culture and tourism. He welcomed the establishment of a sister-city relationship between Osh and Lahore, describing the two historic cities as symbols of shared cultural heritage.
Security and defence cooperation also featured prominently in the talks, with both sides reaffirming their resolve to jointly combat terrorism, extremism and other contemporary threats.
Shehbaz congratulated Kyrgyzstan on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2027-28 and its successful chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2025-26. He said Pakistan had supported Kyrgyzstan’s candidacy. He also praised Kyrgyzstan’s economic progress and development under President Japarov and said the two leaders had discussed regional and international issues, including climate and environmental challenges, multilateral cooperation and coordination at the United Nations and other international forums.
The prime minister invited Japarov to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient time, which the Kyrgyz president accepted. President Japarov, welcoming Shehbaz and his delegation, described Pakistan as a “trusted and important partner” and said bilateral relations had gained “unprecedented momentum” in a short period.
He noted that his state visit to Pakistan in December last year had been followed by President Asif Ali Zardari’s official visit to Kyrgyzstan in July, describing the high-level contacts as evidence of strong mutual trust and a shared commitment to taking bilateral relations to a new level.
Japarov said the two leaders had held “meaningful and productive talks” and signed a joint statement setting out priorities for future cooperation. He said economy should remain a major pillar of the partnership and that the two sides had agreed to increase trade, expand the range of traded goods and attract investment. He identified pharmaceuticals, agriculture, energy, light industry, tourism, digital economy and virtual assets as potential areas for joint projects.
The Kyrgyz president also highlighted the importance of people-to-people contacts, noting that thousands of Pakistani students, mainly in medical fields, were studying in Kyrgyzstan. He said they represented an important humanitarian link between the two countries and would contribute to strengthening bilateral ties in the future. Japarov also welcomed Pakistan’s participation in the sixth World Nomad Games with a large sports delegation and said cooperation in science, culture, tourism, youth exchanges and sports was an important component of bilateral relations.
Ahead of the press stakeout, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan exchanged agreements and memoranda of understanding covering counter-narcotics cooperation, health and medical education, science and technology, trade and chambers of commerce, virtual-assets regulation and academic cooperation between defence-linked institutions, besides the Osh-Lahore sister-city agreement. The two leaders also signed a joint statement marking the prime minister’s visit.
Meanwhile, the two sides signed a series of bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to expand cooperation in trade, security, education, health, climate change, science and technology and other sectors.
PM Shehbaz Sharif and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov witnessed the signing ceremony, during which representatives of the two countries exchanged the pre-signed documents. They also signed a joint statement outlining the discussions, priorities and objectives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s three-day visit to Bishkek, where he attended the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. The two countries signed a Diplomatic Programme of Cooperation between their foreign ministries for 2026-27 and an MoU between the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and National Institute for Strategic Initiatives of the Kyrgyz Republic to strengthen research collaboration.
A transit trade agreement was signed to facilitate commercial movement between the two countries, along with an agreement to promote cooperation in science and technology and a treaty on extradition. The two sides also formulated a draft agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. An MoU between the interior ministries was signed to enhance cooperation against the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.
In the health and education sectors, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council signed an MoU on cooperation in medical education, while the education ministries of the two countries signed another MoU to promote bilateral cooperation in education.
The Kyrgyz Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision and Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination signed an MoU to strengthen cooperation on environmental protection and climate change.
The National Defence University Pakistan and the National Institute for Strategic Initiatives of the Kyrgyz Republic signed an MoU covering academic research and cooperative activities.
Cooperation in emerging technologies was also expanded through an MoU between the Kyrgyz National Agency for Virtual Assets and Blockchain Technologies and Pakistan’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.
The two countries also signed an agreement establishing a sister-city relationship between Lahore and Osh. In the postal and e-commerce sector, OJSC Kyrgyz Post and Pakistan Post signed a bilateral agreement for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Another agreement between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry was signed to strengthen business-to-business ties and promote bilateral trade and investment.
PM Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Kyrgyzstan concluded on an unprecedented note of hospitality, as Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov personally drove the vehicle to see him off at the airport.
