Uzbekistan praises Pakistan’s Middle East peace efforts

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on Saturday appreciated Pakistan’s role in promoting peace and mediation efforts in the Middle East during a telephone conversation with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations, regional developments, and matters of mutual interest. The discussion also focused on strengthening cooperation between Pakistan and Uzbekistan across multiple sectors.

The foreign ministry stated that Bakhtiyor Saidov acknowledged Pakistan’s “constructive role in mediation for regional peace and security,” particularly amid growing tensions in the Middle East. Both sides agreed to remain in close contact and continue diplomatic coordination on regional and international issues.

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Pakistan and Uzbekistan have significantly expanded bilateral engagement in recent years through trade, investment, defence, and regional connectivity initiatives. Earlier this year, both countries signed memorandums of understanding worth approximately $3.4 billion during high-level meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The two countries also announced a target to increase bilateral trade to $2 billion within five years. Agreements signed between the two sides covered sectors including pharmaceuticals, trade facilitation, regional cooperation, and defence collaboration.

Among the notable agreements was cooperation between Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority and Uzbekistan’s pharmaceutical development agency to improve regulatory coordination and pharmaceutical trade.

In the commerce sector, officials from both countries signed protocols aimed at expanding the list of goods under the Preferential Trade Agreement and establishing the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum to strengthen business-to-business links.

Analysts view the growing diplomatic and economic engagement between Islamabad and Tashkent as part of broader efforts to enhance regional connectivity and economic integration in Central and South Asia.