President Asif Ali Zardari. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
President Asif Ali Zardari will pay an official visit to Kyrgyzstan from July 6 to 9 at the invitation of President Sadyr Zhaparov, marking the first visit by a Pakistani head of state to the Central Asian country in 21 years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announced on Monday.
In a post on X, the Foreign Ministry described the trip as “a historic milestone” in bilateral relations. He added that the president’s trip followed President Zhaparov’s visit to Pakistan in December last year and reflects “the sustained upward trajectory of high-level engagement between the two brotherly countries.”
Leading a high-level delegation, President Zardari plans to hold one-on-one talks with President Zhaparov, followed by delegation-level discussions to examine “the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations” and exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the talks are expected to focus on “deepening cooperation” in a wide range of sectors, including trade and investment, energy, mining, agriculture, textiles, halal industry, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, digital economy, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
During the visit, President Zardari will also receive the Speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament for a courtesy visit.
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Stating that Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan enjoy “warm and brotherly relations”, anchored in “a shared history, faith, culture and aspirations for peace, connectivity and prosperity in Central and South Asia”, the Foreign Ministry noted that President Zardari’s visit reflects the two countries’ commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest, building on the momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges.
President Zhaparov visited Pakistan in December 2025, and Islamabad and Bishkek agreed to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and regional connectivity, while reaffirming their commitment to regional peace and stability.
The countries had agreed to increase bilateral trade to $200 million by 2027-28, signing a series of agreements and MoUs covering trade, energy, mining, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, culture, customs cooperation and the use of Pakistani ports to improve regional connectivity. The nations also reaffirmed their support for the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project and welcomed the commissioning of the road corridor under the Quadrilateral Transit Traffic Agreement (QTTA).
Furthermore, the Pakistani and Kyrgyz leaders also agreed that Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities must fulfill their commitments to the international community and address Pakistan’s security concerns by taking “concrete and verifiable actions” against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
