Trade delegation returns home empty handed from Russia

Trade delegation sent to improve bilateral economic ties returned home unsuccessful.

KARACHI: The trade delegation sent to Russia to improve bilateral economic ties ahead of President Zardari’s visit to the country has returned home unsuccessful. The ministry of commerce has decided to carry out a special inquiry into the issue and has demanded a detailed report on the trip.

The failure of the delegation to achieve any substantial outcome has resulted in the loss of a golden opportunity to strengthen trade ties during the president’s visit scheduled in September.

The delegation was supposed to be led by the Chief Executive of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Syed Mohibullah Shah.

However, Shah was not given the green signal from Islamabad to go ahead with the trip and hence the delegation proceeded to Russia without an official head.

Sources claim that upon arrival in Moscow, a split emerged within the Pakistani camp on the question of who would lead the delegation. It has been learnt that participants from the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) asserted that in the absence of TDAP’s top man, the delegation should be led by them as per precedent.

No agreement could be reached and two representatives of the FPCCI flew back to Pakistan on the first day of the visit after consulting the chairman of the chamber, Sultan Chawla.

Sources said that Engineer Jabbar, a former office bearer of FPCCI, and Farooq Afzal, chairman of the chamber’s Pak-Russia business council, highlighted that the delegation was not legally representative of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities labelled the trip futile in the absence of any high-ranking government official and termed it part of the Pakistani government’s policy to disregard relations with Russia. Due to lack of official representation in the Pakistani camp, the delegation was given the cold shoulder by high-ups in key Russian ministries.

During the week-long visit, the delegation could not even sign a single memorandum of understanding with the Russians despite scheduled meetings with important ministries and other potential investors.

The purpose of the trip was to open up the large Russian market for the export of Pakistani goods and acquire technical support from Russia for projects being undertaken in different sectors of the economy.

The delegation was supposed to pave the way for the improvement in bilateral economic ties prior to the President’s visit in September.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2010.