Ethiopian Ambassador to Pakistan Jemal Beker Abdula on Thursday visited the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), and had a detailed discussion with its leadership on strengthening cooperation between trade bodies of the two countries. Upon his arrival at the ICCI, the ambassador was accorded warm welcome by the Islamabad Chamber’s President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari and other office bearers of the chamber. Both sides discussed matters of mutual interest including the needful initiatives for fostering business and trade connections between the two countries. On the occasion, the Ambassador highlighted the critical role being played by Ethiopia in “Look Africa and Engage Africa” policy by starting the Ethiopian Airlines operations in Karachi. “The Ethiopian Airlines in Pakistan is getting an overwhelming response and now we are working towards expansion of its operations to Islamabad and Lahore as well,” the Ambassador noted. He said steps were being taken to boost people-to-people and business-to-business relation between the two countries. “In the last one and half years, we have taken over 75-member business delegation to Ethiopia and facilitated arrival of 50-member trade delegation from Ethiopia in Pakistan,” he said, adding the mainstay of the Ethiopian Embassy’s endeavours was economic diplomacy that would ultimately connect the people of two countries at grassroots level. He also announced to take another trade delegation to Ethiopia this year in May. Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari lauded the Ambassador’s role in bringing the people of two nations close and called for the joint efforts to further strengthen the trade ties between the two countries. He assured the Ambassador of all-out support in mobilizing another trade delegation to Ethiopia this year.