ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has offered connectivity to Central Asia through roads and railways, and hoped that the connectivity projects in the region will not only bring the trade communities toge­ther but also usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for the two countries as well as the region.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasised the importance of connectivity with Central Asia during a meeting on Tuesday with the high-level Uzbek delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minis­ter for Investment and Foreign Trade Khodjaev Jamshid Abdukhakimovich.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement to improve me­chanisms of pest control measures and further strengthen cooperation in the field of plant quarantine.

Under the agreement signed on Tuesday, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research will work with the Agency of the Plant Protection and Quarantine of Uzbe­kistan to create an enabling environment for enhancing the trade volume of plants and plant products.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022