Brussels, 24 May 2022 (TDI): Syed Naveed Qamar, the Federal Minister for Commerce and Investment of Pakistan visited Brussels, Belgium.
Whilst there, he held meetings with key Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), senior officials at the European Commission as well as the Secretary of State for the Brussels region.
Commerce Minister @naveedqamarmna visited Brussels today and held constructive meetings with key MEPs & 🇪🇺 senior officials. The two sides agreed to further deepen & broaden 🇵🇰 🇪🇺 Strategic Partnership, particularly in economic & trade domains @ForeignOfficePk @mincompk 1/2 pic.twitter.com/2v01EIEThp
— Asad M. Khan (@asadmk17) May 23, 2022
In the meeting with the Members of the European Parliament and the Directorate General of Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission, Syed Naveed Qamar highlighted that Pakistan and the EU enjoyed excellent ties based on mutual respect, trust, and common interests.
Moreover, strong trade and investment partnerships were essential elements of the Pakistan-EU Strategic partnership. Likewise, economic stabilization and growth were the key priorities of the current government.
The Minister underscored that Pakistan and the EU remain key partners to realize these objectives. Along these lines, Minister Qamar also highlighted that the GSP Plus status was a perfect template and a success story of mutually advantageous collaboration.
Furthermore, he pointed out that Pakistan’s export to the EU increased by 86 percent, and the EU’s exports to Pakistan grew by 69 percent, since the start of the scheme in 2014.
The Minister emphasized that Pakistan aims to further deepen and broaden its multi-faceted cooperation with the EU, particularly in the economic and trade fields.
The MEPs on their part thanked the Pakistani Minister for his visit. They agreed to cooperate to strengthen Pakistan-EU relations, including enhanced parliamentary interactions.
During his stay in Brussels, the Commerce Minister also met with Pascal Smet, the Secretary of State for the Brussels region. He lauded the upward trajectory in the all-around bilateral ties, including noteworthy growth in bilateral trade.
Pascal Smet also communicated satisfaction with the strengthening of bilateral relations. He thanked Pakistan for its support and facilitation of Belgium’s evacuation Operation from Afghanistan.
In addition, the Pakistani Minister invited the Secretary of State for the Brussels region to lead an economic team to Pakistan. The team will explore collaboration in the fields of chemicals, retail, telecommunications construction, and the food industry.
The Commerce Minister, Syed Naveed Qamar will also be visiting other prominent EU cities. These include Berlin, The Hague as well as Paris.
