Bilateral trade: Call for closer business ties with Egypt

Egyptian businessmen visit the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

There is need for closer cooperation between the business sectors of Egypt and Pakistan to promote trade and closer economic relations. These views were expressed by a delegation of business people from Egypt during a visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) for B2B meetings with Pakistani entrepreneurs, said a press release issued by the ICCI on Friday.

The delegates are visiting Pakistan for the four-day D8 summit. The Egyptian delegation comprised Tamer Safwat, EECA’s consultant for External Exhibitions, Iman Abdel Maksoud Shaltout, Director of the Egyptian Pavilion, May Sami Ahmed Hussain, Home Textile Exports Council and others. They said that the aim of their visit to the ICCI office was to explore the investment potential in agriculture, food processing, textiles, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and building materials.

They said that both sides should share information about trade exhibitions and fairs that could be the most feasible option for strengthening economic, cultural and trade ties between Egypt and Pakistan.

ICCI President Zafar Bakhtawari said Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Egypt, saying that both the countries have a lot of deep-rooted similarities in their shared faith and values.

He said Pakistan is located at a strategic location and Egypt could enter Central Asian markets by developing better economic relations with Pakistan. The ICCI president emphasised on the need to channelize trade-related information and cooperation in various sectors through regular exchange of business delegations and B2B meetings.

To accelerate trade activities between the two countries, direct flights from Islamabad to Cairo should be started, Bakhtawari said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2012.