Pakistan and Uzbekistan have reaffirmed commitment to early implementation of Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan Railways project.

The resolve was expressed at a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov in Islamabad today.

This project will boost bilateral and regional trade and become a bridge between South and Central Asia.

Both sides agreed to identify new areas of economic cooperation and emphasized the importance of a liberal visa regime especially for the business community to promote linkages and people-to-people contacts.

They also expressed satisfaction at close security and defence cooperation and robust engagement at multilateral fora such as UN, SCO and OIC.