Pakistan committed to implementing 27 GSP+ conventions: Dawood

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the PM on Commerce & Investment Abdul Razak Dawood has said that Pakistan has stayed focused on the agreed timelines about its engagement with the European Union (EU) with reference to GSP+ despite the difficulties caused by Covid-19 pandemic.

The adviser said this while talking to Ambassador of EU to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara who called on him at the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday. 

Dawood emphasized that the implementation of 27 conventions are significant for Pakistan’s long-term national and social benefits. 

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss various matters related to GSP+ and different avenues of cooperation between Pakistan and EU, particularly for development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), promotion of culture and tourism industries.

The ambassador discussed various ideas for providing support to the freelancers in the IT sector, handicrafts and tourism, with the focus on creating linkages within the EU to open new markets for the products and services.

On possibilities for future cooperation, Dawood said that there is a lot of potential in northern areas for locals to expand the tourist infrastructure. He also endorsed the idea for promotion of the IT sector, which is posting a good growth and is being promoted under the patronage of the government under the E-Commerce policy.

The advisor underlined the ideas of building a closer relationship with the EU markets. However, this will require more brainstorming as both sides agreed to hold a separate meeting in this regard.

The secretary commerce apprised the ambassador of various developments and reiterated the commitment of the government to follow the commitments with the EU. He appreciated the suggestions for further cooperation and underscored that a lot of emphasis is already being put on the development of SMEs, under the ‘Pakistan Goes Global’ project as well as the Strategic Trade Policy Framework 2020-25.

The meeting ended with both sides agreeing to build stronger engagement by exploring more avenues of cooperation in the future.