H.E. Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan said that a business delegation of his country was coming to Pakistan in the last week of February this year to meet with Pakistani counterparts and tap business opportunities in the Pakistan’s market. He said this while interacting with ICCI Office Bearers during his visit to Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The envoy said that the delegation would visit ICCI to hold a B2B meeting besides visiting touring industrial units in the Capital to see the potential of their products for Kazakh market. The delegation would also visit Lahore and Karachi. He said that a single country exhibition of Pakistan was planned in Almaty in May this year and ICCI members should consider participating in that event to display their products. He said that many Pakistani products including sports goods, medicines, surgical instruments have good potential in Kazakhstan. He said that a high powered business delegation led by the President of Kazakhstan was planning to visit Pakistan in September that would further strengthen B2B relations between the two countries. He also invited an ICCI delegation to visit Kazakhstan and assured his cooperation for signing an MoU between ICCI and the Chamber of Commerce of Kazakhstan.
Speaking at the occasion, Muhammad Shakeel Munir, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that Pakistan and Kazakhstan enjoyed very cordial relations that should be transformed into growing trade and economic relations between the two countries. He said that the current volume of bilateral trade between the two countries was not reflective of their actual potential and both sides should cooperate with their private sectors to increase trade volume. He said that Pakistan was producing many high quality products including marble & granites, textiles, pharmaceuticals, steel, cement, leather products, rice etc. and Kazakhstan should import these products from Pakistan for the benefit of its consumers. He said that ICCI would consider sending its delegation to Kazakhstan to explore new avenues of mutual cooperation.
Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh Senior Vice President, Muhammad Faheem Khan Vice President ICCI, Sheikh Ejaz and others also spoke at the occasion and emphasized that both countries should encourage frequent exchange of trade delegations and organize single country exhibitions on reciprocal basis to improve trade ties up to their potential.