ISLAMABAD: Sri Lankan High Commissioner Noordeen Mohamed Shaheid said on Tuesday that the island nation was eager to strengthen mutual trade ties with Pakistan.
Speaking to the business community at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), he voiced hope that exporters of the city would also launch their business activities in Sri Lanka, besides tapping its international trade market.
Shaheid emphasised that immense opportunities existed in different trade fields for forging joint ventures with Pakistan and in that regard, several Sri Lankan companies displayed keen interest to collaborate with their Pakistani counterparts.
Stressing the need for taking effective practical measures to bolster mutual trade, he said Sialkot exporters had sufficient potential to explore and capture markets of Sri Lanka by exporting its traditional and non-traditional world-class export products.
The high commissioner assured businessmen that all necessary steps would be taken to lift bilateral trade up to $1 billion.
Speaking on the occasion, SCCI President Khawaja Masud Akhtar said bilateral relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, under the overarching South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) umbrella, could provide a brighter and integrated future for South Asia.
“Total annual trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is around $351 million,” he revealed.
