ISLAMABAD: Mauritius was keen to promote bilateral trade with Pakistan as both countries have good potential to do business in many areas particularly in hotel industry.
This was stated by Acting High Commissioner of Mauritius Mervin Nadrajen Chedumbarum while talking to businessmen at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday.
He said Mauritius was a stepping stone for Pakistan to enter into the markets of Southern and Eastern Africa and Pakistan should further strengthen its cooperation with Mauritius to get better access to African markets.
He said Mauritius was importing many products from India and China while Pakistan could promote its exports to his country by ensuring high quality of its products.
He said Mauritius was an attractive destination for tourism as 1.5 million tourists visited his country and added that Pakistani investors have good potential to invest in hotel industry in Mauritius to achieve lucrative outcomes. He said both countries could also increase cooperation in tourism sector to achieve mutually beneficial results.
He assured that he would facilitate Pakistani private sector for further enhancing bilateral trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Mauritius. Speaking on the occasion, Khalid Iqbal Malik, President ICCI said that Pakistan and Mauritius had signed a Preferential Trade Agreement in 2007, providing concessions to many products.
However, the bilateral trade between the two countries was still far less than their actual potential. He stressed that both countries must cooperate with private sectors to explore new avenues of improving trade volume. He said many Pakistani products including meat, fruits, food, textiles products and others could find good market in Mauritius at competitive prices and urged that Mauritius should focus on enhancing its imports from Pakistan.
He said both countries should make efforts to establish direct air links that would help in improving people-to-people contacts and bilateral trade as well.
