Yemen urges Pakistan to revive bilateral trade agreements

Yemen has reaffirmed its desire to deepen commercial ties with Pakistan, calling for the operationalisation of bilateral trade agreements between the two countries.

The development came during a high-level meeting of Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan with Yemen’s Ambassador Mohammed Motahar Alashabi on Friday in Islamabad, read an official statement.

During the meeting, H.E. Alashabi highlighted the historically warm relations between the two countries and stressed Yemen’s desire to expand commercial engagement with Pakistan.

He noted that despite logistical and regional challenges in recent years, Yemen continues to value Pakistan as a trusted partner.

He shared that nearly 300 Yemeni students are currently studying in Pakistan, reflecting strong people-to-people ties and continued confidence in Pakistan’s educational institutions.

He emphasised the need to revive and operationalise existing bilateral agreements and strengthen institutional mechanisms to facilitate trade.

Federal Minister Jam Kamal Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening economic cooperation with Yemen, noting that Pakistan places a high priority on expanding trade with regional and nearby markets.

Jam Kamal highlighted the importance of creating efficient, low-cost logistics channels for small and medium enterprises and informed. Alashabi said that the ministry is examining the introduction of ferry-based small shipping services to reduce freight costs and improve turnaround time for regional trade.

The minister observed that Pakistan’s growing entrepreneurial and SME sectors can greatly benefit from improved access to close-proximity markets such as Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Oman.

He assured that Pakistan will follow up on institutional proposals and engage relevant platforms to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Both sides expressed confidence that sustained dialogue, improved logistics, and revival of formal cooperation mechanisms will help unlock new opportunities for trade and investment between Pakistan and Yemen.