ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan is looking forward to enhanced interaction with international organizations in order to adopt and implement best international practices for increasing the Country’s share in international trade.
In a meeting with the Executive Director of Geneva-based International Trade Centre (ITC) Arancha Gonzalez at PM House in Islamabad on Thursday, the prime minister welcomed the Executive Director ICT on her first ever visit to Pakistan on behalf of the government of Pakistan.
The prime minister also extended gratitude for the support of ICT to the Government of Pakistan in various trade initiatives, technical assistance and capacity building projects enhancing Pakistan’s capacity to participate in global trade.
Nawaz Sharif observed that the executive director’s visit to Pakistan follows the first ever visit of the Director General World Trade Organization (WTO) which underscores Pakistan’s commitment to participation in multilateral trade as a responsible, effective and positive member of the international community.
Sharif informed the executive director ICT of his government’s efforts that stabilized Pakistan’s economy, and is on its way to achieve further higher growth trajectory in the coming months.
The prime minister also thanked the executive director for inaugurating the first ever “She Trades” seminar in Pakistan saying that his government is fully committed to empowerment of women at the broadest level and enhancing their participation in international trade.
The prime minister informed the executive director that his government is currently devising a national e-commerce policy for which the federal Ministers of Finance, Commerce and IT are jointly working.
In her remarks, the Executive Director ITC Arancha Gonzalez said that Pakistan’s economy has achieved stability and is further improving after the improved security and law and order situation in the country. She further said that the massive investments in improving the country’s infrastructure, especially the roads and communication networks have started giving dividends.
The executive director appreciated the government’s concrete steps which have reduced power shortages paving the way for ensuring enhanced economic activities.
“This is my first visit to Pakistan as Executive Director International Trade Centre and what I have seen is a country on the move, a country that has made enormous progress on stabilizing the macro economic situation of the country, in improving the infrastructure, improving the security. All these are essential ingredients to ensure that trade, business and growth can happen and that this growth can translate into benefits for the ordinary men and women in Pakistan,” she said.
“I had very cordial discussion with the PM and we are now going to be supporting Pakistan in translating all this progress achieved at the hard infrastructure level into softer infrastructure progress’ in entrepreneurship, in simplifying trade rules, in boosting the competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises here in Pakistan so that they could contribute strongly”, the executive director ITDC added.
The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan, Senior Advisor ITC Dr. Muhammad Saeed, ITC Matthew Anthony Wilson, Ambassador of Pakistan to the WTO Dr. Syed Tauqir Shah and other senior government officials.
