The Head of Mission from the Republic of Uzbekistan, Lieutenant Colonel Sadulla Tashmatov, expressed his country's commitment to supporting the Afghan peace process during an engaging session on Pakistan-Uzbekistan bilateral relations held at the University of Peshawar's Area Study Centre (Russia, China, and Central Asia).
During the event, Lt. Col. Tashmatov inaugurated the Alisher Navoi Research Corner at the Centre, generously contributing a new Uzbek dictionary and a collection of books by Uzbek Poet Alisher Navoi. He emphasized Uzbekistan's readiness to play a pivotal role in the Afghan peace process and revealed that the nation had already extended an offer to host intra-Afghan dialogues in Samarqand.
Highlighting Uzbekistan's ambitious plans, he discussed their intentions to develop railway connections from Termez-Mazare Sharif through Kabul-Jalalabad to Peshawar, a project set to transform economic activities in the region significantly.
Furthermore, Lt. Col. Tashmatov emphasized Uzbekistan's keen interest in bolstering bilateral trade and its desire to utilize the Gwadar and Karachi ports for transit trade, even expressing readiness to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.
In a warm welcome, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Peshawar, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abid, underlined the deep-rooted brotherly relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, stemming from shared history and culture. He emphasized the potential for further strengthening academic and research collaboration through faculty and scholar exchange programs.