ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) led by President Khalid Iqbal Malik visited Palestine Embassy and congratulated H.E.Mr. Walid Abu Ali, Ambassador of Palestine and Palestinian nation on completion of Embassy in Islamabad and hoped that its completion would help further improving bilateral trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Palestine. Khalid Malik Senior Vice President, Tahir Ayub Vice President ICCI, Khalid Chaudhry, Muhammad Faheem Khan, Muhammad Naveed, Amin ur Rehman, Syed Nadeem Mansoor and Syed Bilal Adil were in the delegation.
Speaking at the occasion, Khalid Iqbal Malik, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that Pakistan and Palestine have good potential to complement each other in many areas and both countries should focus on developing bilateral trade to create better economic opportunities for their people. He said both countries had agreed to form a Joint Ministerial Commission to improve two-way trade and economic relations and stressed that all possible efforts should be made for achieving solid results.
He said Pakistan wanted peace in Palestine so that trade and economic activities could flourish and people of Palestine could enjoy a better living standard. Khalid Malik Senior Vice President and Tahir Ayub Vice President ICCI also underscored the importance of strengthening trade and economic relations between the two countries.
H.E.Mr. Walid Abu Ali, Ambassador of Palestine said that many Palestinian products including marble & stones, food items, agro products, industrial goods, handicrafts, technology & communications, leather goods, construction, tourism related products could find good market in Pakistan.
The Ambassador was of the view that direct interaction between the private sectors of both countries could help in exploring ways and means for enhancing bilateral trade. He said though it was difficult for Pakistani businessmen to do direct trade with Palestine due to Israeli factor, however, they could export to Palestine through Jordon, Egypt and Turkey which were facilitating it in trading activities. He said many Pakistani products including rice, textiles, pharmaceuticals and others have good potential in Palestinian market.
He stressed that more opportunities should be created for the businessmen of Palestine and Pakistan to identify all untapped areas of mutual cooperation. He said enhanced business relations between the two countries would bring many benefits for their economies and people. He was also thankful to the Pakistani government and people for always supporting the cause of Palestine and added that Pakistan was a source of main support for Palestine.
