Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday underlined the need for enhanced cooperation with Senegal in the areas of trade, economy, and education.

The president, talking to Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to Senegal Saima Sayed, who called on him here, said both countries had great potential to increase bilateral trade and economic relations for their mutual benefit.

He said Pakistan considered Senegal an important country in the West African region and asked the ambassador to make concerted efforts towards further expanding the bilateral ties. He urged the ambassador to work on arranging bilateral exchanges at the ministerial level between the two countries.

The president expressed satisfaction over the participation of Pakistani businessmen in trade fairs (Dakar International Trade Fair-FIKDAK) in Dakar for many years, saying such exhibitions would help in further promoting trade relations between the two countries.

President Alvi asked the ambassador-designate to arrange more trade exhibitions in collaboration with the ministries concerned to boost bilateral trade volume.

He called for increased cooperation between Pakistan and Senegal in the area of education.

He said some 8,000 foreign students were currently enrolled in different programmes of the Virtual University of Pakistan (VU), and the Senegalese students could also benefit from the online and distance education being offered by the VU and the Allama Iqbal Open University.

President Alvi also asked Saima Sayed to highlight India’s anti-minority and anti-Muslim policies as well as the reign of terror unleashed by her against the innocent people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir for over seven decades.