The Ministry of Commerce is opening a Commercial Section in Pakistan’s Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this year to develop linkages between the businesses of the two countries. This was disclosed by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Textile, Abdul Razak Dawood, on Thursday
A high-power delegation from Ethiopia, led by State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Markos Tekle and State Minister for Trade and Industry, Misiganu Arega, and senior officials and businessmen, visited Ministry of Commerce for a meeting with Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood.
Razzaq appreciated the warm, historic and brotherly relations between the two countries and expressed the desire to make the trade relations commensurate with the political relations. He elaborated the Look Africa Policy Initiative of the Ministry of Commerce, which calls for enhancing engagement and trade relations with Africa.
The Ethiopian ministers reiterated the desire to upgrade political, trade, commercial and people-to-people contacts.
Adviser on Commerce warmly reciprocated the sentiments of the Ethiopian side and emphasized on boosting the existing trade ties. Areas of mutual cooperation were highlighted by both sides. Razzaq detailed the export potential of Pakistan in sectors like engineering goods, sugar, rice, agro-processed products, surgical, pharmaceutical and sports goods.
Dawood explained that Pakistan desired to make Ethiopia a hub for enhancing exports to Africa under ‘Look Africa Policy Initiative’ which was appreciated by the Ethiopian side.
The Ethiopian minister of trade expressed interest in exporting pulses, black tea, high-quality sesame seed and oilseeds to Pakistan.
He also informed that they are working for the commencement of Ethiopian air flights to/from Karachi and expressed interest in the hiring of technical experts from Pakistan in the field of Engineering, pharmaceutical and IT sectors.
The Ethiopian foreign minister welcomed the initiative and assured support for the newly opened office. He also announced that they are going to open their embassy in Islamabad very soon.
The two nations agreed to have frequent engagements at government-to-government and business-to-business level coupled with trade promotional activities.
Both sides also agreed on removing impediments in the area of technical/SPS regulations, visa facilitation and finalization of MoU on Trade Relations and Treaty for the avoidance of double taxation.
