Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting.

Welcoming Kazakhstan's participation in the SCO meeting, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to work with all SCO countries in advancing SCO's principles and purposes. In this regard, the Prime Minister recalled his visit to Astana in July this year for the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting and appreciated Kazakhstan's contributions to strengthening cooperation among SCO countries.

Noting the warm and excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the need to enhance trade and investment, while also focusing on regional connectivity and security.

To achieve this shared objective, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to maintain regular and high-level contacts, including through institutional mechanisms of bilateral engagement.

Olzhas Bektenov congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on the successful holding of the SCO Summit in Pakistan. 

He reiterated Kazakhstan's firm resolve to work closely with Pakistan, both as part of SCO and bilaterally, to enhance regional connectivity, trade and development. He further said that Kazakhstan sees Pakistan as a leading trade partner in South Asia.

Both the sides agreed to jointly work to realize the true trade potential between the two countries.