Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for a two-day official visit.

He was received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad.

The Foreign Office (FO) earlier said that the Uzbek president was undertaking the official visit to Pakistan at the invitation of PM Shehbaz.

In its statement, the FO said that the President Mirziyoyev would lead a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers and business leaders.

It said that the visiting dignitary would meet President Zardari, hold delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz, and address the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum.

The FO added that this was the Uzbek president’s second visit to Pakistan, as he had last visited Pakistan in 2022.

The visit “reflects the upward trajectory in Pakistan-Uzbekistan bilateral relations and the brotherly ties between the two brotherly countries, rooted in common history, faith and common aspirations for peace and prosperity in Central and South Asia”, it said.

Pakistan and Uzbekistan have strengthened ties through trade and economic cooperation. A $1 billion trade deal was signed in 2023, and plans for further collaboration, including a roadmap for industrial cooperation, show the two sides’ commitment to boosting regional connectivity.

Last month, the two countries agreed to expand bilateral trade to $2 billion as PM Shehbaz met with President Mirziyoyev in Tashkent.

The Embassy of Uzbekistan said last week that President Mirziyoyev’s visit to Pakistan was expected to mark a new phase in bilateral relations.