The Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday that Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would arrive in Pakistan on Thursday on a two-day official visit.

In a statement, the FO said that at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the president would lead a high-level delegation, comprising cabinet ministers and business leaders for the state visit on Feb 5-6.

FO added that the visiting dignitary will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, hold delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz, and address the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum.

“Discussions will focus on reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in diverse sectors including trade, energy, defence, education, people-to-people exchange and regional connectivity,” it stated.

The FO statement said that this was the Uzbek president’s second visit to Pakistan, “which reflects the upward trajectory in Pakistan-Uzbekistan bilateral relations and the brotherly ties between the two brotherly countries, rooted in common history, faith and common aspirations for peace and prosperity in Central and South Asia”.

President Mirziyoyev had last visited Pakistan in 2022.

Pakistan and Uzbekistan have strengthened ties through trade and economic cooperation. A $1 billion trade deal was signed in 2023, and plans for further collaboration, including a roadmap for industrial cooperation, show the two sides’ commitment to boosting regional connectivity.

Last month, the two countries agreed to expand bilateral trade to $2 billion as PM Shehbaz met with President Mirziyoyev in Tashkent.

The Embassy of Uzbekistan said last week that President Mirziyoyev’s visit to Pakistan was expected to mark a new phase in bilateral relations.