ISLAMABAD: H.E. Al Sheikh Mohammed Omar Ahmed Al Marhoon Ambassador of Oman to Pakistan visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and said this his country was keen to further enhance bilateral trade with Pakistan as both countries have great scope to do trade with each other in many items. He said Oman was a gateway for Pakistan to enter Gulf Region, Africa and Far East while Pakistan was a gateway for Oman to get better access to Asia. He stressed that private sectors of both countries should step up efforts to exploit this huge unrealized potential for mutual benefit.
He said that Sultanate of Oman has planned a big railway project which is one of the strategic projects and its implementation will contribute not only to the better development of Oman, it will also link Oman with Gulf Cooperation Council countries. He said with enhanced cooperation with Oman, Pakistan could achieve many benefits for its economy by getting easy access to GCC countries. He said CPEC has attracted the world’s attention towards Pakistan and Pakistani private sector should fully gear up to reap full benefits from this mega development project. He said a company of Oman was going to sign MoU with Pakistan in oil & gas sector and hoped that it will open new opportunities for business collaboration between the two countries. He advised ICCI to enhance cooperation with the diplomats of Arab countries for exploring new areas of cooperation with this region.
Speaking at the occasion, Sheikh Amir Waheed, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that Pakistan and Oman were very near to each other through Gwadar, but bilateral trade was not up to the desired level. He stressed that both countries should give more focus to promoting trade and economic relations that would bring highly beneficial results for both nations. He said Pakistan could provide many products to Oman including food products, fruits & vegetables, pharmaceuticals, textiles and others. He urged that Pakistan and Oman should encourage frequent exchange of trade delegations to explore all potential areas of mutual cooperation.
He said many Special Economic Zones (SEZs) would be set up in Pakistan under CPEC with attractive incentives to foreign investors and emphasized that this was the right time for Oman’s investors to explore Pakistan for joint ventures and investment. He said ICCI would like to sign MoU with Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Oman Embassy should cooperate in this effort.
Nisar Mirza, Vice President ICCI said that environment was improving in Pakistan for business activities and entrepreneurs of Oman should pay more attention to Pakistan. He said both countries could cooperate in many areas including agriculture, energy, oil & gas and they should focus on strong business linkages between their private sectors to realize untapped potential of business cooperation between both countries.
