Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for a two-day official visit as the two nations seek to bolster bilateral ties further.

The two countries maintain friendly diplomatic relations, with Kazakhstan being Pakistan’s top export destination among Central Asian countries.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy PM Ishaq Dar received President Tokayev at Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Base.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, a 21-gun salute was presented to the visiting dignitary.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later posted on X that he was “delighted” to welcome the Kazakh President to Pakistan.

“I look forward to our meaningful and productive engagements tomorrow. The Pakistan-Kazakhstan friendship is a time-tested partnership that continues to bring our peoples closer together. This visit marks a new milestone in our glorious journey,” he said.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who also welcomed the Kazakh preisdent at Nur Khan Base, also said on X: “Honoured to welcome His Excellency Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on his two-day official visit to Pakistan. He was received at the airport by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“This will be a great visit in terms of strong ties between both countries and we look forward to further strengthening our friendship and bilateral cooperation.”

Tokayev is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet ministers and other high-ranking officials. A video shared by his office showed the streets in Islamabad adorned with Kazakhstan’s national flag.

In a handout issued earlier in the day, the President’s Secretariat said that President Zardari will confer the Nishan-i-Pakistan, the country’s highest civilian award, on the Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan presidents; the latter is expected to visit the country sometime this month.

According to the Foreign Office (FO), President Tokayev is expected to hold meetings with President Zardari and PM Shehbaz, as well as address the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum.

President Tokayev’s visit will provide Islamabad and Astana “an important and timely opportunity to undertake a comprehensive review” of bilateral relations, the FO had highlighted.

It added that the two sides will discuss new avenues for broadening cooperation, particularly in trade, logistics, regional connectivity and people-to-people contacts, as well as explore collaboration at regional and international forums.

This visit is seen as a win-win situation by both countries. For Pakistan, it will help Islamabad position itself as a land bridge between Central and South Asia and beyond. For Kazakhstan, it will help diversify its international trade amid turbulence in Eurasia in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek was already on a visit to Pakistan.

Eight memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed on Monday between the higher education institutions of the two countries to promote joint research collaboration, faculty and student exchanges, collaborative academic programmes, and capacity-building initiatives.

As part of the collaboration, Kazakhstan educational centres were inaugurated at three public sector universities in Islamabad.

In September, when then-Kazakh deputy premier Murat Nurtleu visited Pakistan, the two sides signed the Action Plan of Cooperation to boost bilateral ties.