Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday signed the Action Plan of Cooperation to boost bilateral ties, according to a statement by the Foreign Office.

The two countries maintain friendly diplomatic relations, with Kazakhstan being Pakistan’s top export destination among Central Asian countries. According to Kazakh envoy Yerzhan Kistafin, bilateral trade was growing and surged to $239 million.

Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a “tête-à-tête” with his Kazakh counterpart Murat Nurtleu, the FO said in a post on X.

They held a meeting in Islamabad where both sides “reaffirmed their resolve to deepen their political and economic ties”, state media Radio Pakistan reported.

“The two sides also vowed to enhance regional connectivity and maintain close coordination ahead of the forthcoming [Kazakhstan’s] presidential visit in November this year,” it added.

In another post, the FO noted that the delegations held high-level talks on the “full spectrum of Pakistan- Kazakhstan cooperation”, which were co-chaired by Dar and Nurtleu.

“Discussions focused on boosting trade and investment, agriculture, IT, education, culture, tourism, security and logistics connectivity,” it said, adding that the roadmap for Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit was finalised.

Following the talks, “the two DPM/FMs also signed the Action Plan of Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.”

During the ongoing two-day official visit, Kazakhstan’s FM was accompanied by a high-level 13-member delegation. Nurtleu was also expected to call on President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

In April, Pakistan and Kazakhstan agreed to sign a transit trade accord for the movement of goods through three Pakistani ports — Karachi, Bin Qasim and Gwadar — and to engage other regional landlocked nations for opening multiple trade corridors.

Both sides also agreed to promote tourism by sharing lists of certified tour operators and launching joint promotional activities. In August last year, Ambassador Kistafin highlighted the opportunity of a direct flight from Kazakhstan to Skardu.