Kosovo envoy visits FPCCI with a view to enhancing cooperation

LAHORE: Dr Beqir Ismaili, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Pakistan visited Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional office Lahore and held a meeting with President FPCCI Irfan Iqbal Sheikh and Regional Chairman Muhammad Nadeem Qureshi.

During the meeting, the matters of enhancing cooperation in diverse fields, including tourism, trade, investment, technology, and exchange of business delegations were discussed. Melhan Memuti, First Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Kosovo and Zahid Anjum, Honorary Consul, Republic of Kosovo, were also present on occasion.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo appreciated Pakistan’s support in their struggle for independence. He said that Kosovo wanted to strengthen its trade and economic relations with Pakistan as both countries have good potential to trade in many areas. Pakistani investors may use Kosove as a hub to promote their exports to European markets.

Dr Beqir Ismaili, said that Kosovo was interested in developing sector-specific relations with Pakistan to make some tangible progress and later those ties could be diversified to cover more areas of cooperation.

He was of the view that regular interaction between the private sectors of the two sides with follow-up meetings should be the way forward to further strengthen bilateral trade and economic ties between Kosovo and Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said presently, there were no significant trade agreements between Pakistan and Kosovo along with a negligible trade volume, however, both countries had expressed their willingness towards increasing their trade and economic cooperation. A major hurdle in enhancing bilateral trade between the two countries would be the lack of direct air links as well as shipping routes, he added.

Muhammad Nadeem Qureshi said that the two sides could mutually benefit from starting Joint Ventures in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Pakistan, under the CPEC Project. “Pakistan is the world’s leading player in the apparel industry, cereals, fruits & vegetables, salts, spices, honey, cutlery, surgical instruments, sports goods, and the leather and footwear market,” Nadeem added.

He further said that business associations & communities needed to come closer through dialogue and a MOU would be the first stepping stone in unlocking trade and investment potential between the two countries. It is also suggested that “we organise trade and investment seminars and conferences that could highlight areas of bilateral cooperation and uncover the existing challenges the business community is facing in both countries.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023