ISLAMABAD, Aug 27: Pakistan on Wednesday rescheduled a $10 million loan to Kyrgyzstan for 20 years with a grace period of five years and the two sides decided to set up air link between Bishkek and Islamabad.

These decisions were taken at a meeting between Kyrgyz Commerce Minister Miltalip Mamytove and Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz here Wednesday.

At a joint news conference with Shaukat Aziz, Mamytove said the next Joint Economic Commission would be held in 2004 in Bishkek and a number of protocols would be signed.

He said the two sides discussed the road developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan and other Central Asian States as Islamabad has offered its road links to hot waters to be utilized for transit trade to and from Kyrgyzstan.

He said the current Krygyz trade is taking place through Russia and China, which is costly. If there arose a need to build roads in Kyrgyzstan for trade through Pakistan then a request would be made to the Asian Development Bank for financing the project.

Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan had also offered to train Krygez professionals in finance, banking, health and insurance while Kyrgyzstan would send its PhD professionals to teach in Pakistani universities.