Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday urged Pakistan’s newly appointed ambassador to Greece to promote trade and economic ties between the two countries and make efforts to expand bilateral trade to its true potential.

The president, talking to Ambassador-designate to the Hellenic Republic (Greece) Muhammad Aamir Aftab Qureshi, said in addition to working on traditional areas of trade and economic cooperation, new areas of cooperation should also be identified. He said developing close linkages between the chambers of commerce of Pakistan and Greece would help in promoting bilateral trade and investment, which currently stood at $101 million during 2021 and had the potential to be substantially increased with cogent and targeted efforts.

President Alvi said the ambassador should benchmark the best tourism practices of Greece, being one of the top tourism destinations, and try to create linkages between Greece and Pakistan’s tourist industries.

He called for projecting Pakistan as an attractive tourist destination for Greek tourists and expressed satisfaction that Greek mountaineers, hikers and travel bloggers visited Pakistan regularly.

The president advised the ambassador-designate to keep regular contact with the Pakistani community in Greece and resolve their issues and problems regarding consular services.

He also emphasised creating close linkages with the National Database Regulatory Authority and Passport Office in Pakistan and help the community in resolving their concerns about the consular services.

He commented that the developed countries were currently spending billions of dollars to stop and curb non-formal immigration from less developed countries. “Instead, efforts should be targeted to create peace in the conflict zones and help the least developed countries improve financially and economically, which will create enabling conditions, jobs, and minimise formal immigration attempts”, he stated.

President Alvi said Pakistan and the European Union’s Dialogue on Migration and Mobility was expected to open new avenues of legal migration from Pakistan to the EU countries. He said the Greek information technology industry could benefit from Pakistan’s IT-skilled youth by creating online linkages and the export of manpower through formal channels.

The president said efforts should also be made to improve the perception of Pakistan in Greece by promoting Pakistan’s hospitality, which had hosted some four million Afghan refugees for 40 years, and its excellent treatment of the minorities, which were living peacefully. He said the innocent Kashmiris were facing brutality at the hands of occupation forces in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “They are denied their unalienable right for self-determination through a plebiscite, which was promised to them in the various resolutions of the United Nations Security Council resolutions”, he said.

President Alvi said minorities in India were facing perpetual persecution, intimidation and harassment by the Hindu majority population, their lives and livelihoods were endangered, and dignity and honour were being violated.

The president congratulated the ambassador-designate on his appointment and wished him success in the performance of his responsibilities.