SAARC CCI chief calls for addressing core trade issues

Ruwan Edirisinghe insists prosperity not possible without peace in region

LAHORE: Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) President Ruwan Edirisinghe said on Thursday that South Asia possessed tremendous trade potential which needed to be tapped with a shared vision 2030.

He stressed that core trade issues should be addressed and Pakistan’s role in that regard would be vital as prosperity was not possible without restoring peace in the region.

In his telephonic conversation with Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Iftikhar Ali Malik, Edirisinghe emphasised that Pakistan’s support for boosting trade, investment and business among Saarc member countries was of key importance.

While terming security and political barriers the main challenges faced by South Asian countries, he called for celebrating the present successes. Because Saarc nations exhibited the best improvement in terms of economic growth, which averaged over 6.5%, it meant “countries of the bloc have the highest economic growth rate in the world”, he said.

He noted that the biggest economies for the next two decades were expected to be from Asia, which, at present, provided a unique opportunity for regional countries.

“Asian economies including China, Japan and India are expanding and gearing up to capture world markets which clearly indicates the importance of Asia in the global economy,” he elaborated. “South Asia will play an important role in future, particularly by materialising the vision 2030.”

He was of the opinion that in the short term, business between the countries should be enhanced, trade and industrial development should take place and transportation problems should be sorted out.

“As a long-term target, we want to use the opportunities of South Asian economies to uplift the Saarc CCI as the most vibrant chamber in the world by 2030,” he added. The FPCCI president assured the Saarc chamber official of full support from Pakistan to make Saarc chamber a successful entity in the region.

He stressed that all countries would have to autonomously develop an agenda for South Asian cooperation, driven broadly by economic concerns where advantages of economic relations should be focused. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2019.

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