BISHKEK, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 2nd Sep, 2026) Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, said Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic have agreed to work toward raising bilateral trade from roughly $16 million to $200 million within the next two years, describing the current trade volume as far short of what the two countries’ friendship warrants.
The prime minister flanked by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov addressed a joint press stakeout following a ceremony in which the two countries signed a series of agreements across trade, health, science, defence education and other sectors.
Speaking in the Kyrgyz capital against the backdrop of the Tien Shan mountains, the prime minister thanked President Japarov and the Kyrgyz government and people for the hospitality extended to him and his delegation. He conveyed Pakistan’s greetings to the people of Kyrgyzstan on their independence day, and congratulated the country on hosting the World Nomad Games, noting he had attended the opening ceremony two nights earlier.
He said the two sides had agreed their economic partnership must move into a more practical, results-oriented phase, with a comprehensive plan to gradually raise bilateral trade, improve trade mechanisms, promote joint investment, strengthen industrial cooperation and expand business-to-business contacts.
Noting that current bilateral trade stands at only around $16 million, the prime minister said this “is not a patch on our friendship, our brotherhood and our very strong relations.” He went further than the day’s memorandum of understanding on trade, proposing that it be converted into a full bilateral agreement, and said he hoped President Japarov would agree to do so following the ceremony. He called the $200 million target within two years an achievable goal, and urged closer engagement between Pakistani and Kyrgyz business and financial institutions.
The prime minister also congratulated Kyrgyzstan on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–28 term and on its successful chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2025–26, saying Pakistan had supported the Kyrgyz candidacy. He praised what he called Kyrgyzstan’s remarkable economic progress and development under President Japarov’s leadership, including expanded public services and support for vulnerable communities.
The prime minister said connectivity was central to the two countries’ shared vision of linking South and Central Asia, welcoming the signing of a transit trade agreement to facilitate trade and improve logistics. He said the two sides had also reaffirmed the importance of effectively implementing the quadrilateral agreement on traffic and transit, and agreed to simplify transport, customs and administrative procedures.
On energy, the Prime Minister called it another key pillar of the partnership, reaffirming the importance of timely completion of the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project. He welcomed the establishment of a joint working group on energy to advance cooperation in electricity, hydropower, renewable energy and energy infrastructure, and specifically thanked President Japarov for his efforts in completing the Kyrgyz segment of CASA-1000.
PM Shebaz said cooperation had also expanded in education, science, technology, health, culture and tourism, and welcomed the new sister-city relationship between Osh and Lahore, describing both as ancient cities whose landmarks from sites linked to Solomon in Osh to Lahore’s Fort and Badshahi Mosque reflect a shared history and cultural heritage.
He said security and defence cooperation featured prominently in the talks, with both sides reaffirming their resolve to jointly fight terrorism, extremism and other contemporary threats. Beyond bilateral matters, he said the two leaders discussed regional and international issues, agreeing to deepen cooperation on climate and environmental challenges, and reaffirmed their commitment to effective multilateralism and joint work at the United Nations and other forums.
Calling Kyrgyzstan Pakistan’s valued partner in Central Asia, the prime minister said he hoped the visit marked the start of many future interactions between the two countries. He said he had invited President Japarov to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient time and welcomed his acceptance of the invitation.
He closed by expressing hope that the friendship between the two nations would remain “as enduring as our mountains, as warm as the hearts of our peoples, and ever rising towards new horizons,” ending with: “Long live Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan friendship.”
Earlier, President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov welcomed the prime minister and his delegation on their official visit and called Pakistan “a trusted and important partner of Kyrgyzstan”.
He extended his gratitude to the prime minister for accepting his invitation and appreciated his repetitive meeting with him in Bishkek, following his state visit to Pakistan in December last year.
He underscored that Kyrgyz-Pakistani relations have gained unprecedented momentum in a short span of time. Following his official visit to Pakistan, he said President Asif Ali Zardari paid an official visit to Kyrgyzstan in July this year.
President Japarov said the high-level contacts between the two brotherly countries in such a short period are clear evidence of the strong mutual trust and their shared commitment to bringing Kyrgyz-Pakistani relations to a new level.
The Kyrgyz president noted that amid rising international tensions, strengthening friendship, deepening mutual understanding and developing cooperation are more important than ever.
“Today, Prime Minister Sharif and I held meaningful and productive talks in a friendly and brotherly atmosphere and discussed promising areas of cooperation. As a result of our talks, we signed a Joint Statement,” he said.
The Kyrgyz president emphasised that the joint statement reflects the two nation’s shared vision for the further development of Kyrgyz-Pakistani relations and sets out the main priorities for cooperation in the future.
He mentioned that in addition to the joint statement, the two sides have signed a substantial package of bilateral documents covering a wide range of areas of cooperation.
Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, he said have traditionally maintained close cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organization. He mentioned that the two sides expressed their readiness to continue regular political dialogue and coordination on international platforms.
He also extended his felicitations to Pakistan on assuming the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and expressed his readiness to provide support.
President Japarov underlined that the economy should be one of the main pillars of the Kyrgyz-Pakistani partnership. “Therefore, we agreed to take systematic steps to increase bilateral trade, expand the range of traded goods and attract investment. We expressed our readiness to implement joint projects in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, energy, light industry, tourism, the digital economy, virtual assets and other areas,” he added.
Moreover, he said transport and logistics were given special attention during the bilateral talks, whereas, Pakistan’s seaports provide Kyrgyzstan with a natural route to the markets of South Asia and, further, to global trade routes.
At the same time, he said Kyrgyzstan can serve as an important transport bridge for Pakistan to the markets of Central Asia and, to the wider Eurasian region.
The Kyrgyz president also vowed to continue cooperation in the energy sector as both sides have agreed to further enhance bilateral cooperation in this area. He added that the CASA-1000 project, which connects the energy potential of Central Asia with the growing energy needs of South Asia, is of particular importance.
The president of Kyrgyzstan also hailed the people-to-people contacts as the strongest foundation of friendship between the two brotherly countries. “Today, thousands of Pakistani students are studying in Kyrgyzstan, mainly in medical fields. We see them as an important part of the humanitarian ties between our peoples,” he said.
He expressed his confidence in the fact that these students would become doctors, specialists and professionals who would help strengthen the ties between the two countries in the future.
He also highlighted the participation of Pakistan in the 6th World Nomad Games and underscored that the cooperation in science, culture, tourism, youth exchanges and sports was also an important part of the bilateral relations.
“Pakistan is taking part in the Games with a large sports delegation. We see this as a clear sign of respect for our shared efforts to preserve and promote traditional sports” he said.
The Kyrgyz president concluded with his wish for peace, prosperity and continued development to the brotherly people of Pakistan.
Ahead of the press stakeout, the two sides exchanged several agreements and memoranda of understanding covering counter-narcotics cooperation, health and medical education, science and technology, trade and chambers of commerce cooperation, virtual assets regulation, and academic cooperation between defence-linked institutions, along with the Osh–Lahore sister-city agreement. The two leaders also signed a joint statement marking the visit.
