SAMARKAND :Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov on the sidelines of SCO Council of Heads of State meeting here on Thursday and exchanged views on growing bilateral relations.
The Kyrgyz president expressed sympathies and condolences over the loss of precious lives and damage to property in the massive floods in Pakistan caused by climate change.
The prime minister thanked President Zhaparov for the expression of solidarity and shared details of the devastation resulting from the unprecedented floods.
He also stressed the importance of urgent global action to address the threat of climate change and the need for support to the countries like Pakistan that had virtually no contribution to carbon emissions.
The two leaders underscored the need for closer cooperation in trade, investments, energy and people-to-people contacts. They accorded particular focus to further strengthening of high-level exchanges, inter-parliamentary relations, and defence and security ties.
The leaders agreed to convene the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission at the earliest. They also reiterated their resolve for timely completion of the “CASA-1000” power transmission project.
The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to facilitate the Kyrgyz Republic’s access to the sea through Gwadar and Karachi ports. He also welcomed resumption of chartered flights between the two countries.
He thanked the Kyrgyz president for hosting more than 11,000 Pakistani students in medical universities of Kyrgyzstan, and hoped that the Kyrgyz government would continue to facilitate them and ensure their safety and security during the period of their educational stay in the country.
The two sides agreed to maintain regular high-level contacts. The prime minister extended an invitation to President Zhaparov to visit Pakistan at an early date.