ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan said that his country was eager to bolster bilateral trade with Pakistan as increasing trade cooperation between the two countries would be helpful for the entire Central Asian Region. He said this while addressing the business community during his visit to Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI). He said that the current level of economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan was much below their potential and called for enhancing B2B contacts between the private sectors of both countries to explore new avenues of two-way trade promotion.
Kazakh envoy said that promoting integration and connectivity between Pakistan and Central Asia would help unleash economic opportunities in the region. He emphasized for establishing a Pak-Kazakh business council to further improve business contacts between the two countries. He said that the President of Kazakhstan has accepted the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and would be visiting Pakistan in the next few months that would contribute towards further strengthening trade and economic ties between the two countries.
Speaking at the occasion, Muhammad Shakeel Munir, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) said that Pakistan was keen to further expand bilateral trade with Kazakhstan as both countries could do trade in many areas. He said that with the completion of the CPEC project, Pakistan was destined to become a regional hub for transit trade and investment and emphasized that it was the right time for the Kazakh investors to explore JVs and investment opportunities in our country. He highlighted the importance of setting up a Pak-Kazakh Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry to promote business linkages between the two countries, which was highly appreciated by the Ambassador.
Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh, Senior Vice President ICCI said the business community of Pakistan wanted to tap all potential areas of business cooperation with Kazakhstan. He highlighted that Pakistan’s pivotal position provided the shortest access between the land-locked Central Asian States and the Arabian Sea and promoting trade relations with Pakistan would be highly beneficial for Kazakhstan.
Muhammad Faheem Khan, Vice President ICCI said that many Pakistani products including marble & granite, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, IT, fruits & vegetables, rice, textiles, sports goods, leather products could find good market in Kazakhstan. He also emphasized establishing direct air links between Pakistan and Kazakhstan for trade promotion.
Fatma Azim, Sheikh M. Ejaz, Muhammad Shabbir, Khalid Mehmood, Raja M. Imtiaz, Akhtar Hussain, Ch. Ashraf Farzand and Khalid Chaudhry also highlighted many areas of mutual cooperation between Pakistan and Kazakhstan.