Pakistan, Uzbekistan to discuss PTA

Talks between two sides are scheduled for January 31

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and Uzbekistan are set to make some headway on Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) during talks scheduled on January 31.

In this regard, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood held a meeting with Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan Aybek Arif Usmanov to discuss the visit of Pakistan’s delegation to Uzbekistan.

The delegation, which will be led by the adviser, will visit Uzbekistan from January 31 to February 4, 2021.

The visit is a follow-up to the visit of Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov. During the visit a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on Trade and Economic Affairs was signed and it was decided that the first meeting of the Joint Working Group will be held in Tashkent at a mutually agreed time. During the visit to Uzbekistan, matters relating to trade, especially the trade agreement between the two countries will be discussed.

The two countries are striving to enhance trade and regional connectivity. Uzbekistan shares borders with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. Improved connectivity and trade relations can open the doors for enhancing Pakistan’s exports to Uzbekistan and beyond, which has a market of $90 billion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2021.

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