Uzbekistan targets $1B trade with Pakistan, plans Karachi flights

Karachi: Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Alisher Tukhtaev, said that the bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and Pakistan may be upped to $1 billion in coming years but is in positive trajectory after progressing by leaps and bounds recently. Speaking at a meeting at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said that trade had gone up with a positive trajectory from $122 million in 2019 to $387 million in 2023.

Tukhtaev also mentioned the newly launched direct flights between Tashkent and Lahore and disclosed attempts to introduce direct flights from Karachi to Uzbekistan. He invited Pakistanis to visit Uzbekistan, highlighting the two countries’ strong historical, cultural, and religious ties, which have strengthened further through regional connectivity efforts.

The ambassador called attention to the potential areas of further investment, especially textiles, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and agriculture. He appealed to Pakistani businesses to invest in this area in light of Uzbekistan’s safety and investment climate. He also showed interest in B2B meetings among business delegations visiting the country to promote trade and investment.