Uzbekistan and Pakistan: New Horizons for Strategic Partnership

Abstract

The article examines the evolution of relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the formation of a strategic partnership between the two states. Drawing on official documents, analytical publications and press reporting, the study traces the historical preconditions of bilateral cooperation from the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, analyses the qualitative shift that followed the renewal of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy after 2016, and assesses the current state of political dialogue, economic diplomacy, transport connectivity and security cooperation. Particular attention is paid to the trans-Afghan transport corridor, to the Joint Declarations on Strategic Partnership of 2021 and 2022, and to the high-level visits of 2025-2026. The article argues that Uzbek-Pakistani relations have moved from declarative cooperation to the practical implementation of joint projects, and that their further development will depend principally on the stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan, the realization of transport and logistics projects and the institutionalization of coordination mechanisms. The partnership is interpreted as an important element in the formation of a new geo-economic architecture linking Central and South Asia.