Pakistan, Tajikistan set $200m trade goal

June 05, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan and Tajikistan agreed to a three-year roadmap targeting bilateral trade of $200m.

They also finalized an MoU between their respective trade bodies, and reaffirmed commitment to the CASA-1000 energy project, as the two countries concluded wide-ranging talks covering trade, energy, agriculture, education, and connectivity.

The agreements emerged from the 8th Session of the Joint Commission on Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation held in Dushanbe, co-chaired by Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari and Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources Jum'a Daler Shofaqir.

Both countries welcomed the finalization of an MoU between Tajikistan's Agency for Export and Pakistan's Trade Development Authority, said a press release issued.

Discussions on a Preferential Trade Agreement were also held, with both sides agreeing to push for its early conclusion.

 An MoU between Tajikistan's Agency for State Material Reserves and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan was agreed upon for government-to-government procurement.

Both sides appreciated progress under the CASA-1000 project and reaffirmed participation in a Joint Working Group meeting scheduled for June 2026 in Istanbul to finalise outstanding commercial and operational matters.

Tajikistan expressed interest in collaborating with Pakistan Petroleum Limited and OGDC on exploration and production opportunities.

Technical training for Tajik oil and gas professionals through Pakistan's Oil & Gas Training Institute was also endorsed.

In agriculture, both sides agreed to finalise a cooperation roadmap covering high-yield varieties of cotton, wheat, potatoes, and vegetables, along with cooperation in phytosanitary and veterinary fields.

On education, Tajikistan proposed collaboration between its University of Technology and NUST Islamabad in engineering, IT, and architecture, with joint research agreed in water resources, hydropower, ecology, and agriculture.

Minister Leghari also called on Tajikistan's Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda, who expressed satisfaction at the session's outcome and noted that the bilateral relationship had been elevated to a strategic partnership.

The minister  pressed for direct flights and visa facilitation between the two countries.

Both sides agreed that the Joint Commission should meet more than once a year to sustain bilateral momentum.

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