Federal Minster for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Wednesday said that trade and cooperation have steadily grown between Pakistan and Kazakhstan but there is a need to work more on it.
The minister welcomed the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Matters of mutual interest were discussed in the meeting.
The ambassador apprised the minister that the 11th Session of the Kazakh-Pak Intergovernmental Joint Commission (IJC), under the co-chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister- Minister of Trade & Integration Kazakhstan, is going to be held in Islamabad next month.
He highlighted the development areas that are on the agenda of the session. These sectors include; connectivity through land and air routes, trade relations, the agriculture sector, the energy sector, banking channels, the education sector, and investment opportunities.
Moreover, the ambassador highlighted that Kazakhstan is keen to provide 70,000 tons of additional humanitarian assistance of tents, winter clothes, and sleeping bags to flood-affected areas in Pakistan.
The minister appreciated the humanitarian assistance and stressed on pushing development in the railways and power sector. He said that connecting to Central Asia is in the interest of both countries. He added that there is a need to explore ways to increase bilateral relations through land and air connectivity.
The EAD secretary also acknowledged the friendly relations between both nations and assured complete assistance in the signing of MoUs and Inter-Ministerial Meeting (IMM) to finalize the agenda of the 11th IJC session.