BISHKEK: Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors as President Asif Ali Zardari held official talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov during his visit to the Central Asian country.
President Zardari, accompanied by a high-level delegation, received a formal welcome at the Rukh Ordo Cultural Centre before holding delegation-level talks with the Kyrgyz leadership.
The discussions focused on strengthening the longstanding ties between the two countries, which both leaders said are rooted in shared faith, historical links and close cultural relations.
They reviewed progress in bilateral engagement and explored fresh avenues for cooperation in trade, energy, connectivity, political and commercial affairs, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
The two presidents also discussed advancing the CASA-1000 energy project and agreed to work towards expanding economic, strategic and inter-parliamentary collaboration to unlock the full potential of their partnership.
During the meeting, President Zardari recalled President Zhaparov’s landmark state visit to Pakistan in December 2025—the first by a Kyrgyz head of state in nearly two decades—which resulted in the signing of 16 agreements and memorandums of understanding.
He said the visit had injected new momentum into bilateral relations and reaffirmed that Kyrgyzstan holds a significant place in Pakistan’s Vision Central Asia policy.
President Zardari also congratulated Kyrgyzstan on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–2028 term, describing the achievement as a notable diplomatic milestone.
He reiterated Pakistan’s desire to maintain close coordination with Kyrgyzstan at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
He also welcomed greater engagement through parliamentary, defence, security and strategic policy exchanges to enhance mutual understanding on regional and global developments.
The two leaders exchanged views on key regional and international issues and reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting peace, stability and sustainable development through dialogue and cooperation.
As part of the visit, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the health sector between the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health and Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP).
The agreement was signed by Kyrgyz Health Minister Damirbek Osmonov and Pakistan’s Minister of State for National Health Services, Dr Mukhtar Bharath.
The two presidents also signed a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Members of the Pakistani delegation included Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Mukhtar Bharath, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Dr Asim Hussain, Presidential Spokesperson Murtaza Solangi and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.
The official engagements concluded with a state reception hosted by President Zhaparov in honour of President Zardari.
