PML Secretary General Mushahid Hussain expressed the hope that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visit to Uzbekistan next week would further strengthen the historical relations between the two countries.
He was addressing a dinner reception hosted by Senator Talha Mehmood, chairman of the standing committee for Ministry of Interior and President Pak-Uzbek Friendship Society for the visiting Uzbek delegation, led by its Minister for Water and Agriculture Saifuddin Ismoilov.
Recalling the experience of his January visit to Uzbekistan with the parliamentary delegation, he said that he had very much enjoyed the visit of the historical cities like Tashkent, Samarqand and Bokhara.
He said that he was very much impressed by the conventional hospitality and feeling of brotherhood extended by the Uzbek hosts, and expressed hope that the two countries would go ahead to strengthen their friendly relations. Mushahid said that another Uzbuk delegation would visit Pakistan by the end of this year, which would help further boost the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Uzbuk Minister for Water and Agriculture Saifuddin Ismoilov said that Pakistan and Uzbekistan had deep historic relations, and added that both the governments and the peoples of the two countries give top priority to their friendship.
He said that President Musharraf's visit to Tashkent in 2005 and President Islam Karimov's visit to Islamabad in 2006 had helped the two countries to get further closer to each other.
He said: "Uzbekistan wants strong relations with Pakistan in every field." He stressed the need for taking concrete steps to enhance the people to people contacts. The Minister appreciated the formation of Pakistan-Uzbekistan Friendship Society under the leadership of Talha Mehmood.
Talha said that Uzbekistan had centuries-old relations with Pakistan, and added that the two countries had been linked with each other religiously, culturally and socially. He said Pakistan had honour to be among the first few countries to recognise Uzbekistan. He said that both Pakistan and Uzbekistan are agricultural countries; therefore, they should take benefit of each other's experience and expertise in the field.