ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President, Sardar Yasir Ilyas has said Pakistan and the UAE are working on a new economic roadmap to boost bilateral trade volume and establish joint ventures between the two countries.
Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, who last week met with the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Alzaabi, underlined that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have historic and deep-rooted fraternal ties which have stood the test of time.
Referring to the meeting with the UAE ambassador, Khan said the main focus was ways to enhance bilateral trade and establish alliances and joint ventures in different sectors. “Millions of Pakistanis living in the UAE have been playing their role in building and developing the UAE for decades,” he said.
Khan also thanked the UAE government for taking special care of the Pakistani community during the coronavirus pandemic. He said both the countries have potential in multiple things like hospitality, retail, services and manufacturing.
“We are working to find the missing areas so that we can fill those gaps to boost bilateral trade,” Khan added. The ICCI President said many international brands based in UAE were not present in Pakistan, so both sides could collaborate to bring them here.
“There are a lot of companies in UAE which are operating in the manufacturing of tiles and many other products,” Khan added. “Their distribution is going through European and Chinese. We are looking at the prospects of getting distribution of such companies to bring their products and services in Pakistan,” he said.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud discussed bilateral ties and the situation in the region, the Foreign Office had said in a statement.
“Foreign Minister Qureshi underlined that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have historic and deep-rooted fraternal ties which have stood the test of time,” the statement added.
FM Qureshi appreciated consistent support of the Kingdom to Pakistan, especially in the hour of need, and steadfast solidarity on the Kashmir cause.
He reaffirmed the country’s support for the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” while Price Faisal termed Pakistan a “close brotherly country.”
In a separate call with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, Qureshi discussed issues of mutual interest, including bilateral relations and the overall situation in the region.
“Millions of Pakistanis living in the UAE have been playing their role in building and developing the UAE for decades,” Qureshi said.
