ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of Tajikistan in Pakistan in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan would organize a Pak-Tajik Trade and Cultural Festival 2016 from 7th-10th April 2016 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and it was a good opportunity for Pakistani businessmen to participate in the festival to show potential of their products to Tajik customers and promote trade and exports with Tajikistan. This was said by Jononov Sherali, Ambassador of Tajikistan while addressing business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said the festival would encompass exhibition of Pakistani products, briefings & seminars on opportunities by ministries/authorities, business networking gatherings, B2B meetings, cultural programs, Pak-Tajik fashion shows etc. He said Pakistani businessmen could exhibit many products in the trade festival including textiles & clothing, construction & building material, home appliance & furniture, general machinery & equipment, agricultural products & machinery, health care products & instruments, food products & processing machinery, IT products & services, sports items, leather goods, fashion & beauty products, home décor products, printing & packaging and tourism & culture. He said Tajikistan has established 4 Free Economic Zones and Pakistani investors have good potential to promote their exports to Central Asia and Europe by setting up production plants in Tajikistan. He assured that his Embassy would facilitate the businessmen in participating in the Trade and Cultural Festival 2016.
Speaking at the occasion, Atif Ikram Sheikh, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that Pakistan and Tajikistan could complement each other in many areas as Tajikistan could export hydro power to Pakistan and Pakistan could export its many products to Tajikistan including pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture, textiles and others. However, the bilateral trade of US$ 2.1128 in 2011-12 between the two countries was negligible.
He said the major hurdle in promoting bilateral trade was the non-availability of cost effective transportation system for Pakistani exporters to send their cargo to Tajikistan. He said both countries should focus on establishing direct air, roads and railways links. He said Tajikistan should make its visa policy easier for Pakistani businessmen and bring down high tariffs to improve bilateral trade relations. He said both countries should accelerate efforts for timely completion of CASA 1000 transmission line and early finalization of PTA to create conducive conditions for trade promotion. He hoped that Pak-Tajik Trade & Cultural Festival 2016 would help in exploring new avenues of mutual cooperation between the two countries.
