Liaquat Ali
Islamabad: Pakistan and Kazakhstan this week reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in digital technologies, artificial intelligence and telecommunications as both countries move to implement agreements reached during recent high-level engagements and strengthen collaboration between their technology sectors.
The commitment was reiterated during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, and Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, where the two sides reviewed the progress achieved in bilateral digital cooperation and explored new avenues for partnership.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the steady advancement of collaboration in information technology and telecommunications, highlighting the growing momentum generated by the agreements signed during the State Visit of Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Islamabad earlier this year.
Particular attention was devoted to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, which aims to deepen institutional cooperation and facilitate joint initiatives in emerging technologies.
The meeting also highlighted the establishment of the first Kazakhstan-Pakistan Artificial Intelligence Center at GIFT University in Gujranwala as a significant milestone in bilateral technological cooperation and a practical outcome of the expanding partnership.
In addition, both sides discussed prospects for strengthening cooperation between Kazakhstan’s Astana Hub and Pakistan’s Ignite National Technology Fund while encouraging greater interaction between technology companies, innovation centres and startups from the two countries.
Minister Shaza Fatima reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong interest in expanding digital cooperation with Kazakhstan and promoting direct engagement among government institutions, innovation agencies and private-sector technology firms.
The discussions concluded with both countries expressing their determination to continue implementing existing agreements and launching mutually beneficial projects in artificial intelligence, digital innovation and advanced technologies, reflecting the growing importance of technology-driven cooperation in Pakistan-Kazakhstan bilateral relations.
