Islamabad – In a move that reflects a major initiative to bolster relations, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, came to Pakistan today on a two-day official visit.

The visit, accompanied by a high-level 13-member delegation, including the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan, is an important precedent to the much-anticipated state visit of the Kazakh President scheduled to be held in November.

Pakistan considers Central Asia as a key counterpart in the realization of its aim of strengthened regionalization, particularly in terms of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

To landlocked Kazakhstan, the ports of the Arabian Sea are directly and crucially connected to the world markets, and the two countries are keen to exploit the opportunity presented by these ports.

The statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that, “The visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan will further cement the longstanding Pakistan-Kazakhstan ties and contribute to deepening bilateral engagements in diverse fields, for the benefit of the people of the two countries.”

Enhanced Economic and Trade Cooperation

Pakistan and Kazakhstan have a long bilateral history and culture, and both countries are part of major multilateral entities such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Its diplomatic relationship is good, though the current level of trade is modest, and officials on both sides see a lot of potential there.

Pakistan exported more than $68 million worth of products to Kazakhstan last year, and the imports were about 6.4 million. The visit will focus on the current bottlenecks in trade and the identification of new growth opportunities.

In his visit to Islamabad, Murat Nurtleu has been scheduled to have an individual meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Senator Ishaq Dar, after which delegation-level discussions will take place. The talks will give a chance to observe the entire range of bilateral cooperation with a special emphasis on trade and investments, agriculture, education, and cultural exchanges.

Meetings of joint working groups on agriculture and information technology will also take place on the sidelines of the official visit to allow the preparation of new agreements that will be formalized when the president visits in November.

Key areas that Pakistan and Kazakhstan have discovered to have tremendous growth potential are energy, agriculture, and transit connectivity. Kazakh wheat and other agricultural products are sold to Pakistan in large quantities, and the energy resources of

Kazakhstan may contribute to the fulfillment of the increasing energy demand of Pakistan. The fact that the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan was part of the visiting delegation shows the major role of the logistics and transit trade in this new stage of cooperation.

Regional Connectivity through CPEC

The ports of Pakistan, especially Gwadar and Karachi, provide points of access to the Arabian Sea at the most direct and affordable route. In the case of Kazakhstan, CPEC is a game-changer. Being a landlocked nation, it is vigorously exploring new and effective trade routes to access the global market.

The ports of Pakistan, especially Gwadar and Karachi, provide points of access to the Arabian Sea at the most direct and affordable route. In April, the two nations settled on signing a transit trade agreement, which would transport goods via these three Pakistani ports and enable the opening of various trade routes.

In April, both nations agreed to sign a transit trade agreement, which would enable the transit of goods via these three Pakistani ports and would open several trade routes.

The visit is a direct follow-up to the preceding high-level engagements, such as a meeting between the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the Army Chief of Pakistan in April this year, which was also aimed at increasing transit and transport cooperation.

Through the strong infrastructure provided by CPEC, like highways and railways, Kazakhstan can easily export its commodities like oil and metals, and Pakistan can increase its exports of textiles, agricultural goods, and pharmaceuticals to the Central Asian market.