Ceremony held to mark 75 years of Pak-Netherlands diplomatic ties

LAHORE: Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman attended a ceremony held at Lahore Fort to celebrate the completion of 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Netherlands as a special guest.

Ambassador of Netherlands to Pakistan, Henny de Vries, Honorary Consul of Netherlands Asma Hamid, former federal minister Khurshid Kasuri, Tahir Khalil Sindhu, former governor Shahid Hamid and other distinguished guests were present in the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab governor said that Pakistan attaches great importance to bilateral relations with the Netherlands. He said that Pakistan appreciates the cooperation of the Netherlands in political, economic, climate change, education, culture, and multilateral fora.

He said that both countries stood by each other in testing times. He added that Pakistan had helped the people of the Netherlands in the floods of 1953, adding that Pakistan values the Dutch humanitarian and technical assistance after different natural disasters, including the last floods of 2022. He said that the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is increasing.

The governor said that the Netherlands is the second largest export destination of Pakistani products in the European Union.

He said that the Netherlands is among the top 10 countries to invest in Pakistan, while more than 60 Dutch companies are currently operating in Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan has taken various initiatives with a view to boost foreign investment, including the establishment of the Special investment Facilitation Council.

He added that Dutch investors can benefit from the facilities given to investors in the Special Investment Facilitation Council. He further said that Pakistan wants to expand its cooperation with the Netherlands in the fields of education, water management, agriculture, dairy, and tourism.

He said that more than 35,000 vibrant Pakistani community is living in the Netherlands. In recent years, many young professionals have availed the highly skilled migrant visas and contributed to the Dutch Knowledge Economy, he added.

Ambassador of the Netherlands Henny de Vries and others also addressed the ceremony.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023