Kazakhstan ready to strengthen long-term economic partnership with Pakistan: Kazak Minister.

ISLAMABAD -- Minister for National Economy, Republic of Kazakhstan A. Kuantyrov has said that Kazakhstan was willing to strengthen lasting and long-term economic and trade relations with Pakistan. He said that Pakistan and Kazakhstan are engaged in mutual discussions for long-term economic partnership, which would pave the way for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries in the future.

The Kazakh Minister said this while briefing to the international media in Astana, Kazakhstan.

He said, Pakistan has engines of growth like Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad with which businessmen of Kazakhstan can get benefits from business connections, said a press release issued here on Sunday.

1. Kuantyrov said that Pakistan and Kazakhstan could play an important role in regional Economic and trade Integration, for which negotiations were going on in both countries. He said that Pakistan and Kazakhstan had opportunities for economic and trade cooperation in many sectors including textile, agriculture and energy.

1. Kuantyrov said that the volume of mutual trade between Pakistan and Kazakhstan was much less than its potential, which needed to be further increased.

He said that regional trade was very important without which the dream of economic prosperity in the region would not be realized. He said that the concept of a middle corridor was very important for regional connectivity from which all regional economies could get benefits.

The minister said that Kazakhstan is currently in trade balance and "we are striving for sustainable development for which we are working on stable economic policies." He said that they were following the policy of developing their country's...