Islamabad, 25 July 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, Sohail Mahmood, received the Ambassador-designate of Spain, José A. de Ory, on Friday.
Spanish Ambassador José A. de Ory was received yesterday by Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood to hold very fruitful discussions on how to reach the full potential of the already excellent 🇪🇦🇵🇰 bilateral relations pic.twitter.com/CyaPAKl6Uv
— Spain in Pakistan (@SpaininPakistan) July 23, 2022
During the meeting, Sohail Mahmood, emphasized the importance of the diverse ties of Pakistan with Spain. Pakistan’s foreign secretary noted the desire of Pakistan to maintain its current momentum.
In addition, he stated that both countries should enhance Pakistan-Spain cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, and people-to-people contacts.
FS Sohail Mahmood welcomed Spain’s Amb-designate José A. de Ory today. FS stressed the importance Pakistan attaches to multi-faceted ties with Spain and underlined its desire to sustain current momentum and further upgrade 🇵🇰-🇪🇸 coop in trade, investments, tourism & p2p contacts. pic.twitter.com/7XXCtmMf9F
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) July 22, 2022
The two dignitaries discussed how to maximize the already strong bilateral ties between Pakistan and Spain.
Pakistan and Spain’s bilateral ties
The two countries’ historic and cultural ties date back to the establishment of formal relations. Pakistan-Spain relations have hit seven decades of strong bilateral ties.
Pakistan values its bilateral relations with Spain, and there are numerous opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, economics, and mutual interest between the two countries.
Furthermore, Spain is an important European Union partner for Pakistan. Islamabad is always committed to strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation with Madrid in a variety of fields.
A 125,000-strong Pakistani immigrant population served as a vital link between the two countries.
The trade volume between both countries is expanding day by day. Spain’s exports to Pakistan have increased at an annualized rate of 5.76 percent over the last 25 years.
Additionally, exports increased from $51.7 million in 1995 to $210 million in 2020. Pakistan’s exports to Spain have increased at an annualized rate of 7.92 percent over the last 25 years. This was from $142 million in 1995 to $953 million in 2020.
Moreover, both countries intend to expand their cooperation in a variety of industrial sectors. These include food, engineering, and agricultural products.
Pakistan and Spain have also agreed to expand their collaboration in the fight against terrorism, illegal immigration, and human trafficking.
The Pakistani embassy in Spain is in Madrid, while Spain has an embassy in Islamabad. Spain has consulates in Karachi and Lahore, and Pakistan has a consulate general in Barcelona.
