President Zardari, Kyrgyz President Zhaparov Agree to Expand Bilateral Cooperation
President Asif Ali Zardari, accompanied by a high-level delegation on Tuesday (July 7) met Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov during his official visit to Kyrgyzstan, where the two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral ties and explored new avenues for cooperation.
The meeting followed an official welcoming ceremony held in President Zardari's honour at the Rukh Ordo Cultural Centre.
During the talks, the two presidents discussed expanding cooperation in trade, energy, connectivity, political and commercial relations, culture, education and people-to-people exchanges. They also reviewed progress on the CASA-1000 project and emphasized the need to strengthen economic, cultural, parliamentary and strategic partnerships.
President Zardari recalled President Zhaparov's landmark state visit to Pakistan in December 2025—the first by a Kyrgyz president in two decades—which resulted in the signing of 16 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs). He said the visit had given fresh momentum to bilateral relations and reaffirmed Kyrgyzstan's importance in Pakistan's "Vision Central Asia" policy.
The Pakistani president also congratulated Kyrgyzstan on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-2028 term.
He said Pakistan looked forward to closer coordination with Kyrgyzstan at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and other multilateral forums. He also welcomed greater parliamentary, defence, security and strategic-policy exchanges to enhance mutual understanding on regional and global issues.
The two leaders exchanged views on key regional and international developments and reaffirmed their commitment to promoting peace, stability and progress through dialogue.
During the visit, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a memorandum of understanding between the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health and Pakistan's Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP) to enhance cooperation in the health sector. The MoU was signed by Kyrgyz Health Minister Damirbek Osmonov and Pakistan's Minister of State for National Health Services, Dr Mukhtar Bharath.
The two presidents also signed a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Mukhtar Bharath, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Dr Asim Hussain, Presidential Spokesperson Murtaza Solangi and Pakistan's Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.
President Zhaparov later hosted an official reception in honour of President Zardari.