LAHORE, May 20. /Dunyo IA/. Within the framework of his visit to the city of Lahore, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan Alisher Tukhtaev, met with the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and leader of the “Pakistan Muslim League” party, Nawaz Sharif, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

During the negotiations, the parties discussed issues of expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan in the trade and economic sphere, as well as in the fields of transport and communications, agriculture and livestock breeding. Particular attention was paid to the development of interregional ties and the activation of contacts between representatives of the business communities of the two countries.

Nawaz Sharif noted that the large-scale economic reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan arouse great interest in Pakistan. He highly praised Uzbekistan's stable economic growth rates at the level of 7–8% amid a complex global economic and geopolitical situation.

Reforms in the spiritual and educational sphere became a separate topic of discussion. It was emphasized that projects such as the restored Imam al-Bukhari complex in Samarkand and the Center for Islamic Civilization in Tashkent arouse great interest in Pakistan.

The Pakistani side stated that it views Uzbekistan as a second homeland and one of its key partners in Central Asia, noting the historical commonality and close cultural ties between the two peoples. He also expressed the intention to expand cooperation once the regional situation stabilizes.

The parties discussed the development of air communication, including support for the Tashkent–Lahore route and a proposal to launch direct flights between Karachi and Uzbekistan.

In addition, plans were reviewed for organizing mutual visits of regional leaders and conducting business forums involving leading companies from both countries in the textile, pharmaceutical, livestock, and processing industries.

The “Babur” park project in Islamabad and the opening of “Tashkent” street in the capital of Pakistan were discussed separately, which was positively noted by both sides.