Preferential trade deal with Uzbekistan likely

Earlier, Trade Adviser Abdul Razzaq Dawood and Investment Board officials will leave for Tashkent, while Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is also expected to arrive in the Uzbek capital from Tajikistan. During his visit to Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate a joint CASA conference with the President of Uzbekistan. Bilateral cooperation in other areas, including preferential trade agreement, transit trade, customs, banking, trade and investment, transport and other MoUs and agreements, will be signed between Pakistan and Uzbekistan on the occasion.

In addition, it has been agreed to launch a flight operation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Regular flights with Pakistan are expected to start from August 2021. Direct flights from Uzbekistan to Pakistan are likely to begin. According to sources, preparations for the Prime Minister’s visit have been completed. During the visit, water agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries will also be finalized. Agreements and memoranda of understanding are expected to be signed between the two countries. Drafts have been exchanged between the two countries and Pakistan has requested Uzbekistan to import goods on concessional duty under the Preferential Trade Agreement.

The list of items is also being finalized. According to a document available to The Express Tribune, Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to visit Uzbekistan July 15 to attend the CASA conference. According to the proposed schedule, the President will jointly inaugurate the inaugural session of the CASA Conference in Tashkent on July 16. There will be delegation-level talks on July 17, and Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Uzbek president will jointly inaugurate the trade conference.

The two countries will hold delegation-level talks, after which agreements and memoranda of understanding will be signed. Business-to-business meetings and discussions will take place on July 18 on the sidelines of the CASA Trade Conference. According to the document, progress has also been agreed on a plan to establish a railway link through Afghanistan. According to the document, there will be MoUs between the two countries on boosting business-to-business relations and boosting bilateral trade, investment and exports.

The World Bank has offered to finance the Train Afghan Railway project. In addition, Russia has agreed to cooperate on the project. The document states that the Afghan railway project will be completed under a joint roadmap. Work has also begun on a pre-feasibility study. The document said that under the TRI Convention, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have agreed to supply goods from Pakistan and Uzbekistan on a trial basis, for which the two countries have links. Similarly, air links will be established between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, and Uzbekistan is expected to launch regular flights to Pakistan from August 2021.

It was further informed that the Pak-Uzbekistan preferential trade agreement would promote bilateral trade between the two countries for which the two countries are finalizing a draft for import and preferential goods. Lists have also been exchanged. The agreement will be finalized soon and a preferential trade agreement is expected to be signed during Prime Minister Imran’s visit to Tashkent. Similarly, Uzbekistan-Pakistan transit trade agreement will be signed. Uzbekistan is also expected to join the trade transit agreement.