Pakistan, Ethiopia agree to advance trade cooperation, address WTO issues

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Ethiopia’s Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, Yasmin Wohabrebbi, held a high-level virtual meeting on Friday to discuss strengthening bilateral trade, Ethiopia’s World Trade Organization (WTO) accession and the early resolution of outstanding market-access and pharmaceutical regulatory issues, read a statement on Saturday.

Jam Kamal reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening economic relations with Ethiopia, describing the country as an important gateway to East African markets.

Recalling his earlier visit to Ethiopia with a Pakistani business delegation, he appreciated the country’s economic progress and highlighted opportunities for greater cooperation in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, textiles and investment.

The minister emphasised the need to translate diplomatic goodwill into tangible commercial outcomes. He highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate direct air connectivity with Ethiopia and called for the early resolution of outstanding issues concerning WTO market-access negotiations and pharmaceutical registrations.

Ethiopian Trade Minister Yasmin Wohabrebbi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive engagement and briefed the meeting on progress towards Ethiopia’s WTO accession.

She informed that 11 out of 17 bilateral market-access agreements had been concluded and sought Pakistan’s cooperation in facilitating the remaining accession process while addressing its legitimate trade interests through continued consultations.

During the meeting, Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul emphasised the importance of sustained technical-level coordination between relevant institutions to address pending pharmaceutical registration matters, facilitate market access and ensure practical progress on agreed trade priorities.

He also underscored the need for regular follow-up to remove regulatory bottlenecks and encourage greater private-sector engagement.

Both ministers discussed strengthening institutional cooperation, including convening the Joint Economic Committee, and developing a practical roadmap to expand bilateral trade and investment.

They expressed their intention to pursue outstanding matters ahead of their proposed bilateral engagement in February 2027.

Concluding the meeting, Jam Kamal Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a stronger economic partnership with Ethiopia, stressing that timely decisions and concrete actions would help unlock the considerable trade potential between the two countries.