ISLAMABAD: Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir flew to Switzerland in early hours on Tuesday for a week-long official visit.
He will finalize arrangements the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s engagements in Davos during his stay there from Wednesday to Monday.
Pakistan’s exports to the European Union stand at €3.4 billion which is 20 percent of the country’s external trade. The exports the European Union include textile products, medical equipment and leather products while the European Union’s exports to Pakistan stand at €3.8 billion. Pakistani imports include mechanical and electrical equipment as well as chemical and pharmaceutical products.
Sources told Customs Today that the prime minister would participate in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. He would also visit CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), one of the foremost international centers of scientific research.
However, the source added that commerce minister would make arrangements for the activities of prime minister on the sidelines of the officially announced programmes, including arranging meetings with heads of states, representatives and delegates of important countries. At least 3,000 heads of states/government, top business leaders, academics and media leaders are expected to attend the WEF Annual Meeting 2016..
Besides above mentioned, activities, commerce minister will likely to hold important meetings with heads of concerned committees of the European Parliament including the International Trade on Monday.
Similarly, he will also likely to attend meeting of EU Parliamentary Committee on Development on the same day as well as meeting of another committee on economic and monetary affairs on same day. The agenda for the meetings can be oversight of development programming, EU Global Strategy.
Committee on Development will discuss the Committee’s oversight of development cooperation programming with Commissioner Neven Mimica as well as budget discharge for 2014 and development aspects of the EU’s future Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy.
Similarly, with the economic and monetary affairs committee, commerce minister likely to discuss the issues related to Energy Storage with required designs and regulatory incentives.
It is pertinent to note here that under a policy of staying constructively and strongly engaged with Pakistan and to make a significant and visible engagement, both in political and economic terms EU has taken measures including resumption and upgrading of political dialogue, signature of a 3rd Generation Co-operation Agreement, as well as additional development assistance since 2001.
In order to enhance Pakistan’s capacity on WTO related issues, a trade-related technical assistance programme was launched in 2004 with a view to streamlining procedures and processes for trade facilitation in compliance with EU norms and standards. EU and Pakistani relations are elevated to new strategic level with the EU-Pakistani Summit that has taken in 2009.
