JEE News reported on Wednesday that Tajik President Imam Ali Rehman has arrived in Pakistan on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar welcomed the President at Islamabad Airport.
Two children dressed in traditional clothes presented bouquets to President Imam Ali.
The Foreign Office said in a statement that the two sides will discuss further strengthening bilateral cooperation in various fields.
A number of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed during the visit.
“The Tajik President’s visit to Pakistan is expected to deepen cooperation between the two countries in various fields and further strengthen the growing geo-economic partnership,” the statement said.
Pakistan and Tajikistan are brotherly countries linked by long historical, cultural and religious ties. These relationships are marked by mutual respect and exceptional harmony. Both the countries have similar views on various regional and international issues.
Tajikistan is Pakistan’s closest neighbor in Central Asia, separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. This proximity makes Tajikistan an important partner of Pakistan in Central Asia.
This is the second time that the President of Tajikistan will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz this year.
The two leaders last met in September this year when the Pakistani prime minister was in Uzbekistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
In the previous meeting, the two leaders held wide-ranging discussions covering all aspects of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, including regional and international issues.
The Prime Minister thanked Tajikistan for helping flood victims in Pakistan and gave details of the devastation caused by massive floods due to climate change.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also emphasized the importance of regular meetings on establishing bilateral institutional mechanisms and mutually beneficial cooperation in implementation of energy projects.
He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to timely completion of the flagship “CASA-1000” power transmission project.
Second visit in 2 years
Apart from the meeting between the two leaders, this will be the second visit of the President of Tajikistan to Pakistan in two years.
He was last in Islamabad in June 2021 when Imran Khan was in power.
During the visit, Pakistan and Tajikistan signed 12 cooperation agreements in various fields including trade, anti-corruption, infrastructure, education and culture.
