Thirty Years of Pakistan-Uzbekistan Relations Prospects of Cooperation in ECO-SCO.

Byline: Prof. Dr. Manzoor H. Soomro

Uzbekistan and Pakistan have enjoyed a cordial relationship ever since Uzbekistan got independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Pakistan has been among the first two countries to recognize Uzbekistan as an independent country. The relations between the people of the two nations based on similarities in cultures of course goes beyond the last few decades. However, the cooperation and collaboration between two countries and in the greater regions of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and more recently in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is much too desired in terms of science, engineering, technology, innovation (SETI), education, trade, and tourism. ECO region despite being active since 1985 as a successor organization of the erstwhile RCD (Regional Cooperation for Development established by Iran,

Pakistan, and Turkey in 1964), has a truly great potential of building the economies of member countries based on SETI and cultural integration; but somehow the progress has rather been facing various challenges. Nevertheless, with newer common challenges such as climate change and sustainable growth, and common goals seen in the context of current global dynamics including the establishment of SCO and the Belt and Road Initiative of China, the prospects of working together in the region are greater. Human Capital Development in the form of Science, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI) plays a critical role as the basic building block that is essential to developing a strong base of countries for boosting their socio-economic growth and sustainable development. Adequate investments in education, youth engagement, and expanding the bilateral and multilateral cooperation amongst the ECO and SCO Member Countries is the key to nurturing human capital development and fostering industrial development with strong technical cooperation in many economic sectors.

To achieve these massive goals requires a robust commitment to support a number of interventions to increase the access to quality SETI education at all levels in the ECO and SCO regions, particularly for strengthening the cooperation between the two friendly countries-Pakistan and Uzbekistan and beyond in the region. I truly believe that there is tremendous potential for partnership and working together on a number of economic areas between Uzbekistan and Pakistan to illustrate and learn from each other, through...