ISLAMABAD; Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday signed an Action Plan of Cooperation aimed at expanding bilateral ties, the Foreign Office confirmed in a statement.
Kazakhstan is currently Pakistan’s leading export destination in Central Asia, and trade between the two countries has been on the rise, reaching $239 million, according to Kazakh Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Kazakh counterpart, Murat Nurtleu, in Islamabad. The two leaders held a one-on-one meeting, followed by detailed discussions between their delegations. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening political and economic relations, Radio Pakistan reported.
The Foreign Office noted that the talks covered the full spectrum of Pakistan–Kazakhstan cooperation, with a focus on trade, investment, agriculture, IT, education, culture, tourism, security, and logistics connectivity. The roadmap for Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Pakistan in November was also finalized.
Following the discussions, Dar and Nurtleu signed the Action Plan of Cooperation between the two countries’ foreign ministries.
The Kazakh foreign minister is on a two-day official visit to Pakistan, accompanied by a high-level 13-member delegation. During his stay, he is also scheduled to call on President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In April, the two nations agreed to conclude a transit trade accord enabling the movement of goods through Pakistan’s three major ports—Karachi, Bin Qasim, and Gwadar—while also involving other landlocked regional states to expand trade corridors.
Both countries have also pledged to boost tourism through joint promotional initiatives and the exchange of certified tour operators’ lists. Last August, Ambassador Kistafin emphasized the potential of launching a direct flight from Kazakhstan to Skardu.
