Pakistan rolls out red carpet for Kazakhstan president
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for a two-day official visit as the two nations seek to bolster bilateral ties further.
The two countries maintain friendly diplomatic relations, with Kazakhstan being Pakistan’s top export destination among Central Asian countries.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy PM Ishaq Dar received President Tokayev at Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Base.
According to state-run Radio Pakistan, a 21-gun salute was presented to the visiting dignitary.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who also welcomed the Kazakh preisdent at Nur Khan Base, later posted on social media platform X: “Honoured to welcome His Excellency Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on his two-day official visit to Pakistan. He was received at the airport by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“This will be a great visit in terms of strong ties between both countries and we look forward to further strengthening our friendship and bilateral cooperation.”
Tokayev is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet ministers and other high-ranking officials.
In a handout issued earlier in the day, the President’s Secretariat said that President Zardari will confer the Nishan-i-Pakistan, the country’s highest civilian award, on the Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan presidents; the latter is expected to visit the country sometime this month.
According to the Foreign Office (FO), President Tokayev is expected to hold meetings with President Zardari and PM Shehbaz, as well as address the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum.
President Tokayev’s visit will provide Islamabad and Astana “an important and timely opportunity to undertake a comprehensive review” of bilateral relations, the FO had highlighted.
It added that the two sides will discuss new avenues for broadening cooperation, particularly in trade, logistics, regional connectivity and people-to-people contacts, as well as explore collaboration at regional and international forums.
This visit is seen as a win-win situation by both countries. For Pakistan, it will help Islamabad position itself as a land bridge between Central and South Asia and beyond. For Kazakhstan, it will help diversify its international trade amid turbulence in Eurasia in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.
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