Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Friday encouraged leading European companies to invest in Pakistan, highlighting opportunities in agriculture, textiles, housing and information technology.
Speaking at a dinner reception for Members of the European Parliament at Pakistan House during his visit to Brussels, Dar said Pakistan placed strong emphasis on its bilateral and multilateral ties with the European Union, calling the partnership an important pillar for peace, stability and development.
Dar is in Brussels to attend the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum and co-chair the seventh Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas.
The reception was attended by key members of the European Parliament, including the chair of the South Asia Relations Committee, vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, coordinators from the International Trade, Security and Defence, and Foreign Affairs Committees, as well as other EU parliamentarians.
Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch, EU Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the EU Rahim Hayat Qureshi were also present.
Dar said Pakistan sought to further strengthen cooperation with the EU in economic, political and commercial areas. He noted that Pakistan, the world’s fifth-most populous country with over 60 percent of its population comprising youth, offered significant expansion potential for international investors.
He also said the GSP+ arrangement between Pakistan and the EU had played an important role in increasing bilateral trade and investment volumes.
