Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, Aybek Arif Usmanov has said that Uzbekistan and Pakistan are not only genuine partners, but brotherly cooperation has been elevated to a level of the strategic partnership. Only in the last three years, President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev held personal interaction with his Pakistani counterparts the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir, strengthening the trade and industrial, technological projects as well as the active military cooperation between our countries, the Ambassador said. Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, Aybek Arif Usmanov has said this while addressing the 33rd Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan was celebrated with great enthusiasm in Islamabad. The ceremony, attended by dignitaries, diplomats and military officials, marked a new chapter in the flourishing relationship between Pakistan and Uzbekistan. “As it was agreed between our ministers of foreign relations – Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and my Minister Bakhtiar Saidov, during his last meetings in Islamabad; we are actively implementing proactive Economic Diplomacy, further cementing our multifaceted cooperation through 74 joint bilateral agreements and MOU`s”, he said. Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his address on the 33rd Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan has stressed that large-scale work carried out in recent years. He informed that Uzbekistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 6.4% in 2024 (6.2% for the same period in 2023) and amounted to $101 billion (inflation – 5.2%), foreign direct investments have increased by 37% and amounted to $22 billion as well as foreign trade turnover with 186 countries increased by 8.5% (export level amounted to $45 billion). “Only united – we are one nation, only together – a strong country!”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said. He said that the government of Uzbekistan is proudly serving to people in strengthening political stability, the economic development and cooperation with foreign partners. “Our top leadership underscored the importance of further accelerating regional connectivity in the fields of textiles, pharmaceutical production, renewable energy, agriculture, IT logistics and many other sectors”, he added. He said that the particular attention of their nation and brotherly neighbour Afghanistan is the construction project of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway. “In Tashkent new project office was established and recently the Government of Pakistan (Ministry of Railways) hosted in Islamabad trilateral meeting of the project office. Three countries have signed the Protocol upon the feasibility studies, financing and construction of this game changer project”, he remarked. He hoped that every year meetings would result with new significant inputs for the further re-connectivity between Pakistan and Uzbekistan. “I’m extremely grateful to the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari; Prime Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif; the Government of Pakistan; Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force for the great support to connectivity strategy”, he said. He said, “availing this opportunity let me also appreciate the brave Pakistani nation on yesterday Army and Martyrs Day and today we all joined the celebrations of Pakistan Air Force Yaum-e Fazaya as great manifestation of unity, resilience, dedication to defend Motherland it`s peaceful life and long-term stability in the region”. Addressing the Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, he said, “I’m grateful to you for gracing this occasion as Chief Guest representing the Government of Pakistan! My best respects and wishes would go to, former Secretary Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui, EAD Division Secretary Mr. Kazim Niaz as well as Railways Ministry Secretary Mazhar Ali Shah who are working with Uzbek collogues 24\7 to provide the dynamically growing bilateral trade, investments and transit corridors”. The Ambassador said that through our joint efforts, we have increased up to half a billion of bilateral trade via brotherly Afghanistan based on Transit and Preferential trade agreements and Pakistan (and Türkiye are) the only countries with whom Uzbekistan has reached such a level of trade and logistics cooperation. Alhamdulillah. He hoped that both of the countries would reach very soon the goals of $1 bln Trade and Industrial Cooperation Road Maps. “Only this year we been able to arrange more than 50 high-level meetings and more than a hundred ministerial summits and in Tashkent and Islamabad Samarqand and Lahore, Bukhara and Karachi Peshawar and Termiz we gained most remarkable results – as the people-to-people contacts, B2B forums strengthening region to region connectivity”, he remarked. Aybek Arif Usmanov said that exceptional privilege for me to be posted for the third time in this great country Pakistan and be a part of the re-connectivity between our two regions and nations. “Our Ministries of Defense are regularly holding Staff Talks on military cooperation and according to Agreement on military-technical cooperation this year 1st meeting of the Joint Working Commission was held in Islamabad”, he said. Uzbekistan and Pakistan enjoying active cooperation in the sphere of military training as well as holding multilateral exercises on combatting terrorism, he said.