“A historic document was signed today”: Tokayev after talks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister

Tengrinews.kz – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke to the media following talks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held in Islamabad, citing Akorda.
Tokayev thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the invitation to pay a state visit to Pakistan and expressed gratitude to the Pakistani people for the hospitality shown to the Kazakh delegation.
He said he was visiting Pakistan with great pleasure, calling it a brotherly country with a rich history, a vibrant culture and strong positions on the international stage.

“Pakistan is a reliable and important partner of Kazakhstan in South Asia and beyond. Our peoples are connected by centuries-old ties rooted in the heritage of the Great Silk Road, as well as deep cultural and spiritual closeness. We are united by shared values, traditions and a common aspiration for the future. Constructive political dialogue and stable economic ties are supported by regular engagement at the level of governments and business communities. Today, together with the respected Prime Minister, we signed a historic document – the Joint Declaration on establishing a strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Pakistan. This step helps elevate our relations to a qualitatively new level and opens broad prospects for cooperation across the full range of the bilateral and multilateral agenda,” Tokayev said.

The President of Kazakhstan also thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his significant personal contribution to deepening friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
Tokayev described Shehbaz Sharif as a visionary leader who is decisively steering the country toward progress. He said Sharif’s balanced and future-oriented policy is contributing 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 steps make a substantial contribution to strengthening peace and stability in the region. Pakistan has significant economic potential, a developed industrial base and enormous transit and transport capabilities. Products of Pakistan’s agricultural sector, light industry and medical sector are widely represented in foreign markets. The dynamic development of the defense industry has also earned well-deserved international recognition. We sincerely welcome and highly appreciate all the achievements of the brotherly Pakistani people in various fields,” the President noted.

He also highlighted the substantive and productive nature of the negotiations with Prime Minister Sharif. Important intergovernmental documents were adopted, aimed at achieving concrete results across the entire 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 (for 2025–2027) is being implemented effectively. We agreed to take specific measures to further increase trade turnover, setting an ambitious goal of bringing the volume of trade to one billion dollars in the near future. The importance of creating a favorable environment to intensify business ties between our countries was emphasized. Special attention will be paid to transport and logistics projects designed to expand trade flows,” Tokayev stressed.

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

“In this context, we discussed the capabilities of the Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar. As one of the priority issues, the development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and transit routes passing through Afghanistan was also considered. In this context, the sides discussed the prospects for implementing a railway project along the route Kazakhstan – Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan,” the Head of State said.

In addition, the sides agreed to explore the prospects of resuming direct air links between the two countries, which Tokayev said is of key importance for developing business ties and tourism.
It is noted that on February 4, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in an expanded format with the participation of delegations from both countries.
This is Tokayev’s first state visit to Pakistan as President of Kazakhstan. As he previously noted, the visit is historic in nature. He also expressed confidence that Astana and Islamabad have every opportunity to give a significant boost to bilateral ties.