Pakistan, Uzbekistan sign $1 billion trade deal

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed on Friday a $1 billion deal to increase bilateral trade, a statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Economic Affairs said.

The deal was sealed at the 8th meeting of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Inter-governmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation (IGC) held in Tashkent.

Both countries signed the agreement to encourage the exchange of goods and services, the ministry said in its statement.

Any investment opportunities would come as a boost to Pakistan which is facing a balance of payment crisis, with foreign reserves falling so low as to cover just three weeks of imports.

Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was leading the delegation to thrash out the trade agreements, which cover cooperation in fields including trade, banking, industries, energy and agriculture, the ministry added.