On Thursday (July 15), Pakistan and Uzbekistan will sign a Transit Trade Agreement (TTA) in Tashkent, allowing them to use each other’s facilities for transshipment of their goods.
The signing event will be seen by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also the In-Charge Minister for Commerce. The TTA will allow products, cars, and drivers to travel by rail and road in Uzbekistan and its border points with neighbouring Central Asian Republics (CARs). Except for India, Pakistan will provide similar services.
The first consignment on the TIR left for Uzbekistan via Torkham border customs station on April 30, 2021.
According to the sources, Uzbekistan already has a Transit Trade Deal with Afghanistan, while Pakistan has its own agreement with Afghanistan, implying that after the agreement is signed, products will flow freely.
Both nations are nearing completion on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), but Tashkent is not yet ready to sign it, claiming reasons for the delay.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan conducted their first virtual summit on April 14, 2021. Uzbekistan’s President has issued an invitation to Prime Minister Imran Khan to attend a high-level international conference on regional connectivity in July 2021.
They committed to increase bilateral trade volume by implementing collaborative initiatives such as diversifying trade, expanding business-to-business interactions, exchanging trade delegations, and simplifying visa requirements.
It was also addressed the need of holding the Uzbekistan-Pakistan business week and conference in Tashkent in July 2021. Over eight dozen businessmen will also attend the conference, according to official sources, and will have B2B meetings with trading counterparts.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan are roughly 1,295 kilometres apart geographically. The distance between Karachi and Tashkent, on the other hand, is approximately 2,950 kilometres, while the distance between Lahore and Tashkent is approximately 1,917 kilometres.
