The head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Akylbek Japarov, noted the great potential for bilateral trade and economic cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, according to a statement from the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan.
This potential "has not yet been fully realized," Japarov said during the discussion.
Japarov is on a working visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to participate in the 23rd meeting of SCO Council of Heads of the SCO Governments meeting.
"The trade turnover between our countries remains low, amounting to about $20 million in 2023. I propose that through joint efforts, we increase it to at least $100 million next year, and in the medium term – to $500 million," the Kyrgyz head of government stated.
Touching on the quadrilateral agreement between Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan on transit freight transportation, he noted with satisfaction that Kyrgyzstan had thereby gained access to the sea through Pakistan. However, Japarov pointed out that there are still bottlenecks.
"In this regard, the cost of the Karakoram Highway has risen sharply. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this unique transport corridor is still in the early stages of operation, and we need to work together as soon as possible to bring this critical route to its maximum capacity," he suggested.
To strengthen cooperation between entrepreneurs from the two countries, the head of the Kyrgyz Cabinet proposed establishing a Kyrgyz-Pakistani Business Council and holding its first meeting next year in Kyrgyzstan.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
October 16, 2024