Uzbek delegation seeks stronger trade ties with Pakistan

LAHORE: Deputy Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tokhtaev Akobirjon has expressed keen interest in deepening trade and investment ties between Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Speaking during a visit to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), where he led a high-level delegation, Akobirjon emphasised the Uzbek business community’s intent to strengthen mutual economic cooperation.

He pledged to make all-out efforts to enhance collaboration and explore untapped opportunities in trade and investment, noting that the visit marked an important step towards establishing long-term institutional linkages between the business communities of both countries.

LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad welcomed the delegation and described Uzbekistan as a key trading hub in Central Asia. He said that this visit, following another high-level Uzbek delegation’s visit to the LCCI just four months ago, demonstrated continued engagement and growing interest in reinforcing bilateral relations. He added that Pakistan viewed Uzbekistan as a pivotal economy under the government of Pakistan’s

‘Vision Central Asia’ policy, which prioritises political engagement, trade and investment, energy cooperation, defence collaboration, and people-to-people linkages.Shad noted with concern that the current volume of bilateral trade does not reflect the true potential between the two nations. In 2023-24, bilateral trade reached $106 million, of which Pakistan’s exports accounted for $78 million, he said stressing the need to explore new avenues for collaboration, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, chemicals, renewable energy and information technology.

Highlighting the composition of the Uzbek delegation, Shad said its members were mainly from the textile and leather footwear industries and were actively seeking joint ventures and partnerships with Pakistani companies. He expressed confidence that the delegation would find reliable business partners in Lahore and hoped the visit would prove to be a milestone in strengthening commercial ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.