Daily Times

President Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Muhammad Ishaq has underscored the need of signing of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to further strengthen Pak-Tunisia bilateral trade and economic relations. Prospects are very brighter to improve Pak-Tunisia mutual trade economic ties, he said while speaking as guest of honour at a ceremony, hosted by Tunisian Honorary Consul General in KP, Hammad Rashid in the honour of the Ambassador of Republic of Tunisia in Pakistan, Borhene El Kamel here at local hotel, said a press release here on Wednesday.

Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani was the chief guest at the ceremony while Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Secretary Information Arshad Khan, Tunisia Honorary Consul General in KP, Hammad Rashid, WCCI Peshawar president Ms Azra Jamshid, representative of Foreign Ministry in Peshawar Ms Sundas Ali Khan, Deputy Head of Mission Tunisia, Honarary Consul Generals Lahore and Karachi, members of the business community, relevant government officials and representatives from relevant stakeholders also attended the event.

Ishaq noted that huge potentials and vast opportunities were available to boost up bilateral trade relations between Pakistan and Tunisia. He invited the Tunisian investors to make investment in potential sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The SCCI chief went on to saying that Pakistan and Tunisia were tied with cordial economic, political and defence relations. However, he stressed that current bilateral trade volume between the two countries was very low, which should be enhanced by signing of FTA, launching of joint ventures, exchange of business communities and taking benefits from each other’s potentials and experiences.

Furthermore, he stressed pragmatic steps needed to be taken for countering negative propaganda and hurdles in the way of bilateral Pak-Tunisia. He expressed the hope that Pak-Tunisia mutual economic and trade relations will be improved after signing FTAs shortly. Ishaq revealed that SCCI has planned to hold an investment opportunities conference and trade expo in Tunisia, hoping that Pak-Tunisia trade relations would be put in a new direction through this planned event.

The Chamber’s president invited the Tunisia investors to make investments in Olive, farming, mining, tourism and other potential sectors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He thanked the honorary consul general Hammad Rashid for inviting him to this august event. Borhene El Kamel, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia in Pakistan while speaking at the ceremony said that his country was giving much importance to improve mutual economic, trade, political and defence relations with Pakistan and pragmatic steps had been taken in this regard. He said that Tunisia and Pakistan were enjoying cordial economic, trade, political and defence ties.