pakistan ambassador pays visit to FPCCI in Azerbaijan
Published on: November 14, 2023.
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LAHORE: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Bilal Hayee, recently visited the Regional office of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in Lahore, where he met with President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as trade, investment, technology, and business delegations exchange.
Also present at the meeting were Regional Chairman Muhammad Nadeem Qureshi, Vice President of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mian Anjum Nisar, and Vice President of FPCCI Riffat Malik.
During the meeting, Irfan Iqbal Sheikh emphasized the importance of building Business-to-Business (B2B) and People-to-People (P2P) linkages, as well as fostering joint activities. He highlighted the potential for bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Sheikh mentioned that Azerbaijan can benefit from Pakistan’s expertise in textiles, fruits, rice, surgical goods, pharmaceuticals, and IT, all at competitive rates.
While political relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are strong, Sheikh acknowledged that trade and economic relations are not up to their full potential yet. Therefore, he emphasized the need to focus on promoting trade relations to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for both economies.
Nadeem Qureshi expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for eliminating duties on Pakistani rice. This move will facilitate the export of rice from Pakistan to Azerbaijan, strengthening the trade relationship between the two countries.
Ambassador Bilal Hayee highlighted that Azerbaijan is a significant market for Pakistani rice exports since the country has abolished the duty on rice imports from Pakistan. He encouraged Pakistani exporters to focus on sectors such as pharmaceutical products, which have a high demand in Azerbaijan. Hayee emphasized the importance of increasing exports to Azerbaijan, as both countries have great potential for trade and economic cooperation in various fields, including agriculture, industry, tourism, mining, and hospitality. He also highlighted the immense potential of Pakistani pharmaceutical companies.
In conclusion, the meeting between Ambassador Bilal Hayee and President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh focused on enhancing cooperation in trade and investment between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Both parties recognized the importance of building strong B2B and P2P linkages to translate into bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation. They identified several sectors with growth potential where both countries can collaborate and emphasized the need to promote trade relations between the two nations.
Source: [Business Recorder](https://www.brecorder.com)
