President Zardari to depart today on four-day official visit to Kyrgyzstan: MoFA

Trip marks first by Pakistani head of state to Central Asian country in 21 years

President Asif Ali Zardari is to undertake an official visit to Kyrgyzstan from July 6 to 9 at the invitation of President Sadyr Zhaparov, marking the first visit by a Pakistani head of state to the Central Asian country in 21 years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announced on Monday.

In a post on X, MoFA described the trip as "a historic milestone" in bilateral relations. It added that the president's trip followed President Zhaparov's visit to Pakistan in December last year and reflects "the sustained upward trajectory of high-level engagement between the two brotherly countries."

Leading a high-level delegation, President Zardari is scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with President Zhaparov, followed by delegation-level discussions to review "the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations" and exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.

According to MoFA, the talks are expected to focus on "deepening cooperation" across a broad range of sectors, including trade and investment, energy, mining, agriculture, textiles, the halal industry, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, the digital economy, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

During the visit, President Zardari is also due to receive the Speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament for a courtesy call.

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Saying that Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan enjoy "warm and fraternal relations", anchored in "shared history, faith, culture and common aspirations for peace, connectivity and prosperity in Central and South Asia," MoFA noted that President Zardari's visit reflects the two countries' commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest, building on the momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges.

President Zhaparov visited Pakistan in December 2025, with Islamabad and Bishkek agreeing to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy, and regional connectivity while reaffirming their commitment to regional peace and stability.

The countries had agreed to increase bilateral trade to $200 million by 2027-28, signing a series of agreements and memorandums of understanding covering commerce, energy, mining, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, culture, customs cooperation, and the use of Pakistani ports to enhance regional connectivity. The nations also reaffirmed their support for the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project and welcomed the operationalisation of the road corridor under the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA).

Further, Pakistani and Kyrgyz leaders also agreed that Afghanistan's Taliban authorities must honour their commitments to the international community and address Pakistan's security concerns by taking "concrete and verifiable actions" against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.