On October 27 of this year, a meeting was held at the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS) between the Institute's deputy director, Bakhtiyor Mustafayev, and representatives of the Pakistani think tank Socio-Economic Insight and Analytics (SIA) – director Nadeem ul-Haque and expert Durre Nayab.

The interlocutors exchanged views on key aspects of the socio-political and socio-economic reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan, and discussed prospects for the further development of bilateral cooperation.

Particular attention was paid to the intensification of Uzbek-Pakistani relations in recent years. As Nadeem ul-Haque noted, Tashkent and Islamabad are consistently strengthening political dialogue, expanding trade and economic ties, and increasing humanitarian contacts.

This is clearly demonstrated by the impressive growth in trade turnover, which increased 11-fold between 2016 and 2024 – from $35.6 million to $404 million.

The parties agreed that the emerging positive momentum will facilitate the implementation of joint projects that meet the interests of both countries. The importance of the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to strengthen connectivity between Central and South Asia was particularly emphasized.

Concluding the meeting, representatives of the ISRS and SIA confirmed their interest in deepening the partnership between the think tanks. It was noted that collaboration between the expert communities will facilitate the development of practical proposals for enhancing Uzbek-Pakistani cooperation.

SIA is a Pakistani think tank conducting research on socioeconomic reforms, macroeconomic and investment policies, and improving public administration efficiency. The SIA team includes former ministers and leading experts in economics and politics.