Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Looking to strengthen relations

Officials discuss strategies for bolstering trade ties

ISLAMABAD: A delegation from the Pakistan Embassy (Riyadh), led by Acting Charge d’affaires Hassan Wazir, met Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) Chairman Abdul Rahman A Al-Zamil and discussed strategies for bolstering bilateral ties and further enhancing economic cooperation.

“We held an important meeting with CSC’s Chairman Abdul Rahman A Al-Zamil and Saud A Al-Mashari, the assistant secretary general for legal and administrative affairs,” Pakistan Embassy Commercial Attache Waseem Hayat Bajwa, who was also part of the delegation, told Arab News.

During the discussion, Wazir emphasised the need for further strengthening relations between the two countries, particularly in the commercial and economic fields, Arab News reported on Saturday.

Al-Zamil, according to Bajwa, confirmed the importance of bilateral economic and political relations and stressed the need for expanding them as they were not in commensurate with the actual potential.

Zamil spoke on Saudi Arabia’s investment opportunities and was keen on bringing Pakistan’s listed and other major companies in the construction, technology, agricultural and services sector to the Kingdom, Bajwa said.

He pointed out that the CSC chairman laid particular emphasis on revitalising Pakistan’s human resources, especially in the services and construction sectors, because of their huge demand across the Kingdom.

He suggested that Pakistan’s government and private training institutions should focus on fulfilling the ever-rising demand and needs of the Saudi market by providing requisite trained manpower to Saudi companies, the Pak diplomat said.

When asked about the potential and ability of Pakistan’s training institutions in both the public and private sectors, Bajwa called for an effective collaboration with the Saudi companies by establishing a specialised centre to cater to the Saudi market.

During the meeting, Bajwa highlighted important issues which required cooperation from the CSC, especially through joint efforts of the chambers of the two countries. Each country could hold exhibitions in the other country and facilitate business visas, and cooperate in the education sector, he said.

“We are framing new rules, which will be ready in two to three weeks, and then we will form joint councils respectively with different countries, including Pakistan,” said Zamil. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2014.

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