Kassym-Jomart Tokayev lauds talks with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his gratefulness to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the invitation to pay a state visit to Pakistan and thanked the Pakistani people for the warm hospitality extended to the Kazakhstani delegation.

Tokayev noted that he was visiting Pakistan with great pleasure - a brotherly country with a rich history, vibrant culture, and a strong standing on the international stage.

Pakistan is a reliable and important partner of Kazakhstan in South Asia and beyond. Our peoples are united by centuries-old ties rooted in the heritage of the Great Silk Road, as well as by deep cultural and spiritual closeness. We are bound together by shared values, traditions, and a common aspiration for the future. Constructive political dialogue and sustainable economic ties are reinforced by regular interaction at the level of governments and business communities. Today, together with the esteemed Prime Minister, we signed a historic document - the Joint Declaration on the establishment of a strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Pakistan. This step elevates our relations to a qualitatively new level and opens broad prospects for cooperation across the entire spectrum of bilateral and multilateral agendas. I would like to express special gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his tremendous personal contribution to deepening friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries, stated the Kazakh President.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described Shehbaz Sharif as a visionary leader who is decisively guiding the country along the path of progress. His balanced and forward-looking policy contributes to the steady strengthening of Islamabad’s position on the regional and international stage.

Last year, Pakistan was elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The country’s constructive and responsible actions make a significant contribution to strengthening peace and stability in the region. Pakistan possesses substantial economic potential, a developed industrial base, and vast transit and transport capabilities. Products of Pakistan’s agricultural sector, light industry, and medical sector are widely represented on foreign markets. The dynamic development of the defense industry has also received well-deserved international recognition. We sincerely welcome and highly value all the achievements of the brotherly Pakistani people in various fields, noted Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed satisfaction with the substantive and productive nature of the talks held with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Key intergovernmental documents were adopted, aimed at achieving concrete results across the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation. We discussed in detail issues of trade, transport and logistics, industry, energy, information technologies, as well as cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Trade and economic interaction is demonstrating rapid growth. Last year, the volume of bilateral trade doubled compared to the previous year. The roadmap for trade and economic cooperation (2025–2027) is being implemented effectively. We agreed to take specific measures to further increase trade turnover, setting ourselves the ambitious goal of raising trade volume to 1 billion US dollars in the near future. The importance of creating a favorable environment to intensify business ties between our countries was highlighted. Special attention will be paid to transport and logistics projects designed to expand trade flows, said the Kazakh leader.

According to the President, the Prime Minister spoke about Pakistan’s growing role in the fields of transit and logistics, which could open alternative routes for Kazakhstan’s access to international markets.

In this context, we discussed the potential of the Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar. The development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and transit routes passing through Afghanistan were also considered among the priority issues. In this regard, the sides discussed prospects for implementing a railway project along the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route, said Tokayev.

Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday signed a joint declaration establishing strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Pakistan.