ISLAMABAD: Pakistan–Finland Parliamentary Friendship Group convened consultative session on Tuesday to promote bilateral trade and cooperation.
The meeting was held under the convenership of Dr Sharmila Faruqui, with the objective of deepening bilateral engagement through trade facilitation, institutional collaboration, and enhanced parliamentary cooperation.
The session was attended by Hannu Ripatti, Ambassador of Finland to Pakistan; Bilal Haye, Ambassador of Pakistan to Sweden (who joined virtually); senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce; as well as representatives of the Pakistan–Finland Business Council.
Distinguished Members of the National Assembly, including Shaista Pervaiz, Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, and Farah Naz Akbar, actively participated in the proceedings. From the Pakistan–Finland Business Council, Shahzad Sabir, Chairman, and Pervez Haroon, Vice Chairman, were in attendance.
Convener of the Pakistan–Finland PFG underscored the group’s potential to serve as a vital platform for enhancing people-to-people exchanges and acting as a bridge to address the challenges faced by the business communities of both countries.
Deliberations focused on; addressing challenges in trade and export facilitation, promoting collaboration in priority sectors such as mining, SME partnerships, and education, exploring avenues to enhance bilateral trade, investment opportunities, and business sector participation.
Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce reaffirmed their commitment to advancing sector-specific proposals through coordinated institutional support.
Ambassador Ripatti suggested the submission of concrete proposals and recommendations to address existing challenges and reiterated Finland’s interest in fostering long-term commercial and parliamentary cooperation with Pakistan.
The meeting also considered the prospect of a high-level parliamentary exchange in the near future. Participants agreed to sustain momentum through follow-up engagements in both virtual and in-person formats.
The session concluded with a shared resolve to translate mutual goodwill and growing interest into structured collaboration, supported by proactive coordination among parliamentary, diplomatic, and business stakeholders.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025