A delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) led by its Vice President Engr. Azhar ul Islam Zafar visited the Pakistan Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia and exchanged views with Faisal Fiaz, Acting Ambassador of Pakistan to Indonesia to further improve bilateral trade ties between the two countries. Muhammad Shabbir, Ch. Muhammad Ali, Hamayun Kabir, Ch. Javed Iqbal, Sheikh Muhammad Ejaz, Akhtar Hussain and others were in the ICCI delegation.

Addressing the delegation, Faisal Fiaz, Acting Ambassador of Pakistan to Indonesia said that the economy of Indonesia is on a sustainable growth trajectory, therefore Pakistan has promising scope to develop close cooperation with it and get easy access to Indonesian and ASEAN markets. He said that Pakistan-Indonesia bilateral trade in 2022 was around US$ 4.2 billion, which can be further improved by promoting business linkages between the private sectors of both countries. He said that in 2013, Pakistan had signed a preferential trade agreement with Indonesia and stressed that the business community should take full advantage of it to promote trade and exports with Indonesia. He lauded the ICCI delegation for participating in the 38th Trade Expo Indonesia Hybrid Edition 2023 and said that regular exchange of trade delegations is the best way to improve bilateral trade ties between the two countries. He assured that the Pakistan Embassy in Indonesia would fully cooperate with the business community of Pakistan in exploring new avenues of trade promotion with Indonesia.

Speaking on the occasion, Engr. Azhar ul Islam Zafar, Vice President ICCI said that Pakistan and Indonesia are two important countries of the Muslim world and a lot of opportunities are available for private sectors of both countries to enhance cooperation in multiple fields. He said that the purpose of ICCI delegation to visit Indonesia is to explore untapped opportunities of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. He said that Pakistan can export many products to Indonesia including pharmaceuticals, surgical & medical equipment, footballs, leather products. He said that Pakistan and Indonesia can also cooperate in many fields including tourism, IT, pharmaceutical, textile, cooking oil, mines & minerals, leather, e-commerce and others. He said that the Pakistan Embassy in Indonesia should identify the demand of Pakistani products in Indonesia and share this information with chambers of commerce of Pakistan so that the business community could take advantage of them.

ICCI delegation members also spoke on the occasion and shared useful ideas for further improving bilateral trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Indonesia.