BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 9. Pakistan's Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) plans to make a business trip to Kazakhstan this July, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President of the ICCI said during a meeting with Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the country, Trend reports via the ICCI.
According to him, the goal of this visit is to interact with Kazakh counterparts and develop strong business ties in order to explore all untapped areas of mutual cooperation.
The president of the Chamber also touched on the other fields of possible cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan. He identified a range of sectors, including construction, agriculture, energy, textiles, pharmaceuticals, tourism, engineering equipment, machinery, banking, and finance, in which both countries can work together to achieve mutual benefits.
In turn, the ambassador said that Kazakhstan is keen to strengthen the trade ties with Pakistan as both countries have good potential to trade with each other in multiple sectors.
Yerzhan Kistafin also briefed the Pakistani side on the opportunities for doing business in Kazakhstan and the advantages of his country as a regional hub. The Kazakh ambassador welcomed the ICCI's intention to send a delegation to Kazakhstan and pledged to provide all necessary organizational and logistical support to ensure the visit's success.
The sides also discussed the launch of direct flights between Kazakhstan and Pakistan and stressed that the government of Pakistan should expedite its work for the early start of these flights. It was noted that Pakistani ports provide the shortest route for landlocked Kazakhstan to access the Arabian Sea.
In addition, the need for both countries to establish land and railway links to further strengthen their business relations was also mentioned.
In 2022, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Pakistan reached $73.1 million.