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Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for a two-day<\/a> official visit as the two nations seek to bolster bilateral ties further.<\/p>\n The two countries maintain friendly diplomatic relations, with Kazakhstan being Pakistan\u2019s top export destination<\/u><\/a> among Central Asian countries.<\/p>\n President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy PM Ishaq Dar welcomed President Tokayev upon his arrival at Rawalpindi\u2019s Nur Khan Base.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n According to state-run Radio Pakistan<\/em><\/a>, a 21-gun salute was presented to the visiting dignitary.<\/p>\n Tokayev is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet ministers and other high-ranking officials. A video shared by his office showed the streets in Islamabad adorned with Kazakhstan\u2019s national flag.<\/p>\n In a handout<\/a> issued earlier in the day, the President\u2019s Secretariat said that President Zardari will confer the Nishan-i-Pakistan, the country\u2019s highest civilian award, on the Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan presidents; the latter is expected to visit the country sometime this month.<\/p>\n According to the Foreign Office<\/a> (FO), President Tokayev is expected to hold meetings with President Zardari and PM Shehbaz, as well as address the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum.<\/p>\n President Tokayev\u2019s visit will provide Islamabad and Astana \u201can important and timely opportunity to undertake a comprehensive review\u201d of bilateral relations, the FO had highlighted.<\/p>\n It added that the two sides will discuss new avenues for broadening cooperation, particularly in trade, logistics, regional connectivity and people-to-people contacts, as well as explore collaboration at regional and international forums.<\/p>\n This visit is seen as a win-win situation<\/a> by both countries. For Pakistan, it will help Islamabad position itself as a land bridge between Central and South Asia and beyond. For Kazakhstan, it will help diversify its international trade amid turbulence in Eurasia in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.<\/p>\n Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek was already on a visit to Pakistan.<\/p>\n Eight memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed<\/a> on Monday between the higher education institutions of the two countries to promote joint research collaboration, faculty and student exchanges, collaborative academic programmes, and capacity-building initiatives.<\/p>\n As part of the collaboration, Kazakhstan educational centres were inaugurated at three public sector universities in Islamabad.<\/p>\n In September, when then-Kazakh deputy premier Murat Nurtleu visited Pakistan, the two sides signed<\/u><\/a> the Action Plan of Cooperation to boost bilateral ties.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n