ISLAMABAD: A state visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Pakistan, scheduled for February 2026, is expected to mark a new phase in bilateral relations as the two countries seek to translate political goodwill into deep, results-oriented economic cooperation, the Embassy of Uzbekistan said on Tuesday.

According to the embassy, the visit comes amid a sharp intensification of high-level dialogue and growing trade links, with both sides setting an ambitious medium-term target of increasing bilateral trade to $2 billion.

The focus was shifting from conventional exchange of goods to long-term industrial partnerships, joint ventures and the gradual dismantling of tariff and non-tariff barriers.

The embassy said trade between the two countries had shown steady growth in recent years.

Bilateral turnover stood at $404 million in 2024 and rose to $434.4 million during January-November 2025, reflecting a 16.9 per cent year-on-year increase.

Compared with the same period in 2023, trade expanded by more than 22 per cent, underscoring the resilience of economic ties despite global volatility.

However, both governments acknowledged that current volumes fell short of the true potential of their economies.

As an interim goal, the two sides aimed to push trade to $1 billion in the short term, while working toward the $2 billion target through structural reforms.

The embassy said officials argued that achieving this scale of growth will require diversification beyond raw materials and a stronger emphasis on value-added production.

A cornerstone of this effort was the expansion of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) signed in 2022. Negotiations were underway to widen the list of goods eligible for preferential tariffs from 17 to around 100 items, a move expected to directly benefit exporters on both sides.

Alongside tariff liberalisation, the countries were preparing to introduce an Electronic Data Interchange system between their customs authorities to enable real-time data sharing, reduce paperwork and shorten border clearance times.

In its statement issued here, the Uzbek embassy said non-tariff barriers were also on the agenda, with agreements reached to harmonise standards and sanitary and phyto-sanitary regulations.

Officials say this would be particularly important for agricultural and light industrial products, where procedural delays often inflate costs.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2026