Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will pay a two-day visit to Uzbekistan from March 24, as part of Pakistans desire to reach out to the strategically located Central Asian Republics and enhance bilateral ties in all spheres. During his stay Prime Minister Gilani would be meeting President Islam Karimov, Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Speaker of the Legislative chamber of the Oliy Majlis. He would also visit the historic city of Samarkand along the ancient Silk Route. Prime Minister Gilani has recently visited Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and is likely to be visiting the remaining of the five Central Asian Republics soon. The visit is aimed at further strengthening of ties and exploring new avenues of cooperation. Prime Minister Gilani is visiting Uzbekistan on the invitation of President Islam Karimov. Gilani met his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the 8th summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in October 2009 and it would be his first visit to the largest of the five Central Asian Republics. Prime Minister Gilani is likely to discuss ways to boost trade volumes and to move towards finalizing a trilateral transit trade agreement between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, that can not only ease transportation of goods, but also help bring the people closer.