Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the FDRE to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan H.E. Jemal Beker Abdula on Tuesday said the business community of Ethiopia was ready to welcome the Pakistani delegation arriving in Addis Ababa on March 5-10 for exploring business, trade and investment opportunities. “Pakistan needs alternative business markets to expand its exports through diversification and to that end, the Embassy of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) takes an initiative of facilitating a trade delegation to enter not only in the Ethiopian market but also in the entire African continent,” the ambassador said during a meeting with a business delegation from Taxila which called on him here at his office. The delegation included Mr. Zaildar Ahsan Shah, Landlord of Taxila, Elaan Marketing Director Headquarters Obaid Ayub, Pakistan Research Center for A Community with Shared Future Executive Director Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Khalid Taimur Akram and other businessmen from Taxila. The meeting discussed the ways to further strengthen business-to-business and people-to-people interactions between the two countries. A strategy to make the trade delegation to Ethiopia a success story also came under discussion. They also explored ways to boost the bilateral ties between the two countries in diverse sectors including economy, health, education and others. The ambassador briefed the businessmen from Taxila on the preparations regarding the trade delegation which would further connect the business community of both the countries and also helped Pakistani traders to access the markets of entire Africa. The delegation from Taxila appreciated the efforts of H.E. Jemal Beker Abdula for bringing the two countries more closer by cementing the bilateral ties. They assured their full support for the trade delegation to Ethiopia and said prominent people from the business community would be made its part for increasing the bilateral trade between the two countries. They also expressed keen interest in promoting people-to-people ties between Ethiopia and Pakistan through increased cooperation in education sector.