Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to arrive in Pakistan tomorrow

• Tajik president is visiting Pakistan at PM Shehbaz Sharif's invitation.
• Both sides to exchange views on further strengthening bilateral ties.
• This is second time that Tajik president will be meeting PM Shehbaz this year.

ISLAMABAD: President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon will arrive in Pakistan for a two-day trip tomorrow with a number of bilateral agreements and memorandum of agreements (MoUs) expected to be signed.

As per a Foreign Office spokesperson, the Tajik president is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

During the visit, the two sides will exchange views on further strengthening bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas. Several bilateral agreements and MoUs are expected to be signed.

Pakistan is hoping that the visit will “impart a renewed impetus to deepening cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields and further strengthen the growing geo-economic partnership."

“Pakistan and Tajikistan are brotherly countries linked through longstanding historical, cultural, and religious bonds. These ties are marked by mutual respect and exceptional cordiality. The two countries have the commonality of views on various regional and international issues,” said the FO spokesperson.

Tajikistan is Pakistan’s “closest neighbour” in Central Asia separated only by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. This proximity makes Tajikistan an important partner of Pakistan in Central Asia.

This is the second time that the Tajik president will be meeting PM Shehbaz this year.

The two leaders had last met in September of this year when the Pakistani premier was in Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

In the last meeting, the two leaders held wide-ranging talks covering all aspects of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, including regional and international issues.

The prime minister thanked Tajikistan for its support to the flood affectees in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods, induced by climate change.

PM Shehbaz also underlined the importance of regular meetings on bilateral institutional mechanisms and the establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation in the implementation of energy projects.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to timely completion of the important "CASA-1000" power transmission project.

Second visit in 2 years

Apart from the two leaders meeting, this will be the Tajik president's second visit to Pakistan within two years.

He was last in Islamabad in June 2021 when Imran Khan was in power.

During the visit, Pakistan and Tajikistan entered into 12 accords for cooperation in diverse fields including trade, anti-corruption, infrastructure, education, and culture.