Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan desires to further strengthen trade and economic relations with the European countries.
The foreign minister said this while talking to the envoys of European countries on Thursday.
The foreign minister said that there are great opportunities for investment in Pakistan. He said that despite Covid-19, there has been a significant increase in investment portfolio from European companies to Pakistan. He expressed satisfaction that bilateral trade has also improved.
The foreign minister said a plan is being prepared in order to make the joint economic commissioners with the European countries more vibrant and effective. He said, “We are providing every possible facilitation to the entrepreneurs from Europe.”
Referring to the Roshan Digital Account, he said the expatriate Pakistanis have sent five hundred million dollars to Pakistan through this initiative in the last few months. He said both the sides need to evolve a joint strategy to remove hurdles in the way of bilateral trade. He said institutional cooperation is a must to further strengthen bilateral relationships. Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has expressed satisfaction over the Norwegian investment in Pakistan.
During his telephonic conversation with Norwegian counterpart Ine Eriksen Søreide, the foreign minister appreciated the growing business relations between Pakistan and Norway.
The foreign minister of Norway appreciated the role of the government of Pakistan in facilitating the signing of the solar power project between Scatec and Nizam Energy. She also lauded the constructive role of Norwegians of Pakistani origin in the economic development of Norway.
The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on enhancing cooperation in diverse sectors such as trade, investment and clean energy.
On the Afghanistan situation, Qureshi underscored that there is no military solution to the conflict. He briefed his Norwegian counterpart on Pakistan’s positive contribution to the Afghan peace process and expressed the hope that the Afghan leaders would seize this historic opportunity to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.
