Pakistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership and significantly expand economic cooperation, as the two countries signed more than 30 memoranda of understanding and agreements during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s first state visit to Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad, called for raising bilateral trade to $1 billion within the next year, citing untapped economic potential and long-standing historical ties between the two nations.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, the prime minister said the current trade volume of around $250 million did not reflect the depth of relations or the scale of opportunities available to both countries. He urged both sides to move swiftly to unlock new areas of cooperation and set an ambitious target of $1 billion in annual trade. According to Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan and Kazakhstan share strong political goodwill, which now needs to be translated into concrete economic outcomes.
President Tokayev described Pakistan as a reliable and important partner in South Asia and beyond, highlighting centuries-old connections rooted in the Silk Road. He said the two nations are bound by cultural and spiritual affinity and share common aspirations for growth and stability. Tokayev noted that a joint declaration establishing a strategic partnership had been signed, describing it as a historic step that would open new avenues for cooperation across bilateral and multilateral platforms.
The Kazakh president said that elevating relations to a strategic level would allow both countries to engage more comprehensively in areas such as trade, investment, connectivity, technology and regional development. He emphasized that the agreements signed during the visit would help institutionalise cooperation and provide a framework for long-term collaboration.
Earlier in the day, President Tokayev was accorded a guard of honour at the Prime Minister House, where he held a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, followed by delegation-level talks. The visit marks Tokayev’s first official trip to Pakistan and includes a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet members and officials.
Following the talks, both sides exchanged memoranda of understanding and agreements covering a wide range of sectors. These included cooperation in mining and petroleum, maritime affairs, railways, customs, transit trade, prisoner exchange and United Nations peacekeeping operations. Additional agreements focused on climate change, artificial intelligence, digital development, virtual assets, veterinary services and protection frameworks, reflecting a growing emphasis on technology-driven collaboration.
Senior members of Pakistan’s cabinet, including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, attended the signing ceremony. President Tokayev was earlier received at Nur Khan Airbase by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, where a Pakistan Air Force squadron presented an aerial salute. Islamabad was decorated with Pakistani and Kazakh flags along the motorcade route, and the visiting president later planted a commemorative sapling at the Prime Minister House.
During his visit, President Tokayev is also scheduled to meet President Zardari. Discussions are expected to focus on trade expansion, logistics, regional connectivity, people-to-people exchanges and coordination at regional and international forums. Separately, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with the Kazakh president and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding cooperation across political, economic and social domains.
Addressing the Pakistan Kazakhstan Business Forum, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed optimism about deepening economic ties and welcomed business leaders from both countries. He highlighted Pakistan’s strategic location as a gateway for landlocked Central Asian states, offering access to the ports of Gwadar and Karachi. The prime minister noted that Pakistan’s National Logistics Cell is prepared to facilitate the movement of goods between Central Asia and Pakistani ports.
He also underscored Pakistan’s commitment to developing regional rail and road connectivity through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, calling such projects potential game changers for the broader region. Both countries agreed to work toward a bilateral trade target of $1 billion within the next two years and decided to establish a joint working group to develop a five-year roadmap for trade, investment and economic cooperation.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal was appointed to lead Pakistan’s side of the working group, while Kazakhstan will be represented by its deputy prime minister. Prime Minister Shehbaz said the roadmap would provide a structured framework for sustained engagement, adding that he looks forward to signing further agreements during his planned visit to Kazakhstan later this year.
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