20000302

Shaukat will

lead trade delegation

to Tunisia

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Food Iftikhar Soomro, on Wednesday said Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz will lead a delegation of industrialists and businessman to Tunisia to explore possibilities of joint venture and trade promotion.

Provincial Minister along with Ambassador of Republic of Tunisia, M. Lamine Benzarati, was visiting KCCI. He said that Pakistani businessmen and industrialists would discuss with their counterparts the possibilities of foreign investment in both the countries and trade promotion.

M. Lamine Benzarti, stressed the need for promoting economic relations between Tunisia and Pakistan.

He stated that the proposed meeting of joint-ministerial commission would help promote the two-way economic relationship, particularly the bilateral trade, which is very low.

Benzarti, while giving resume of the Tunisian economy, stressed that Tunisia had a very conducive climate to private investment.

He said that the Tunisia had a highly educated and trained manpower and developed infrastructure, which provided ample opportunities to Pakistani businessmen to enter into partnership with their counterparts.

The ambassador observed that Tunisia, being an associate member of the European Union, offered opportunities for Pakistani investors to establish joint venture and avail of the benefit of overcoming quota restrictions and exemption of custom tariff for export to the European Union.

He informed the business community that the tourism constituted one of the developed sectors of the economy and a major source of revenue. He invited Pakistani businessmen to visit Tunisia and help promote its tourism industry.

He assured that the genuine investors would face no problem in obtaining Tunisian visa.

Welcoming the guests, Amjad Rafi, President, KCCI, expressed his concern on the low volume of bilateral trade, which was within the vicinity of seven million dollars.