Rawalpindi: (Parliament Times) Belgian ambassador, Philippe Bronchain, on Thursday assured full cooperation to the Pakistani business community for strengthening trade between the two countries. Belgium ranked among top ten destinations in the world on foreign direct investment (FDI) and Pakistani traders and diaspora should avail this opportunity.
Addressing business community during his visit to the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) the envoy said that Belgium and Pakistan are enjoying 70 years of cordial relations and I am very pleased to know that the bilateral trade volume increased to 900 million euros.
Many Pakistani products had the potential to find good markets in Belgium. He said his country was cooperating with Pakistan in energy, infrastructure, textile, dairy, poultry and humanitarian sectors.
Also, academic cooperation is expanding with a growing number of Pakistani students studying or doing research at Belgian universities as well as an increasing number of partnerships between universities in Belgium and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.
He lauded RCCI efforts in promoting trade ties and organizing exhibitions and business opportunity conferences (BOC) at different parts of the world. He assured full cooperation and assistance for upcoming RCCI Pak-Balgian BOC in Brussels in 2020. He assured his full cooperation to the business community for strengthening the trade relations between the two countries.
Speaking on the occasion, the RCCI president, Saboor Malik, said that Belgium was the 5th largest trading partner of Pakistan within the European Union, but the current trade volume was insufficient keeping in view the available potential of trade between the two countries.
He said both countries should extend support to private sectors for taking trade volume to more than $2 billion in next couple of years. He said Belgium should cooperate with Pakistan in enhancing textile, cereals, cotton, leather and sports goods exports to his country. To benefit from the existing opportunities, exchange of delegation is important, he added. He invited the Belgian envoy to bring company representatives in the upcoming international Rawal Expo 2020. Later the ambassador inaugurated the Business Catalogue in the chamber premises. The ambassador was accompanied by the Belgian embassy’s trade commissioner Abid M. Husain and trade and commercial officer Shaukat Nawaz Niazi.
