By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA)—Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday began his maiden two-day state visit to Pakistan.
He was received by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi.
Tokayev is expected to hold talks with Zardari and Sharif, as well as address the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum.
The visit will provide the two sides "an important and timely opportunity to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral relations, discuss new avenues for broadening cooperation, particularly in trade, logistics, regional connectivity, people-to-people contacts, and explore collaboration at regional and international forums," according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
The visit shows the "strengthening bonds" between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, "their mutual commitment to transforming historic and cultural affinities into robust cooperation, and their common desire for peace and progress in the region," it added.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. In 2024, bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Pakistan amounted to $53.7 million.
Relations between the defense authorities of the two countries are "among the most productive and dynamically evolving areas of Kazakhstan–Pakistan interstate cooperation," according to the Kazakh government.