Pakistan–Uzbekistan relations

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Pakistan–Uzbekistan relations

Pakistan and Uzbekistan maintain diplomatic ties and work together in several international groups, including the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Economic Cooperation Organization, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. They also hold regular meetings through the Pakistan–Uzbekistan Joint Ministerial Commission.

History and cooperation: Uzbekistan became independent in 1991, and Pakistan was among the first to recognize it. Early relations were strained by Afghanistan, where the two countries backed opposing factions. Relations improved after the Taliban’s fall and after Uzbek President Islam Karimov died; his successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has deepened Uzbekistan’s outreach and cooperation with Pakistan.

Shared interests: The two countries coordinate on Afghanistan, with Uzbekistan hosting a Taliban delegation in 2019. Pakistan wants access to Central Asian markets, while Uzbekistan seeks access to Arabian Sea ports. Trade increased significantly from 2018 to 2019, though it was about $90 million in 2018 due to transit difficulties through Afghanistan. Direct flights began in 2018 between Tashkent and Lahore, operated by Uzbekistan Airways, helping boost trade and people-to-people ties.

People and language: About 70,000 Uzbeks live in Pakistan, including refugees from northern Afghanistan. There are some linguistic similarities, with around 4,000 common words found in both languages.