Islamabad, March 8 (TDI): The launch ceremony of “A Handbook on Economic Diplomacy” written by Ambassador Ahmed Ali Sirohey; Pakistan envoy in Niger, took place at COMSTECH on Tuesday in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan.

In his introductory lecture, Ambassador Sirohey said that diplomacy aims to nurture good relations with other nations. Sirohey then added that with stronger economic connections with other nations, relations would automatically go better and strong.

Ambassador Sirohey said that the pioneer in economic diplomacy in the world is the Netherlands and in Asia is Japan. He mentioned that today geographically and demographically, small countries are influencing the policies of large countries due to their economic power and best economic diplomacy.

He said that the diplomates of the economically advanced country spend 90% time meeting business communities to enhance the exports of their countries and 10% of their time allocated for other activities.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF AMBASSADOR SIROHEY

Ambassador Sirohey suggested achieving economic deterrence by adopting creative and innovative action plans. He advised making achievable time-bound goals to achieve excellence in economic development.

Speaking at the occasion, the Coordinator-General COMSTECH, Professor Iqbal Choudhary, also said that a handbook on “Economic Diplomacy” by Ambassador Mr. Ahmed Ali Sirohey is an excellent addition to the literature on economic diplomacy. Furthermore, He said that I found it as a crash course for myself to understand economic diplomacy and that all those who are in the foreign service should read it.

REMARKS OF DR. CHOUDHARY

Prof. Choudhary said that Ambassador Sirohey is one of the most seasoned and effective diplomats of Pakistan and he is certainly a role model.  He said the book reflects his vast work experience in different countries and organizations.

He has addressed the contours of economic diplomacy in the modern world and contextualized them with Pakistan, Prof. Choudhary mentioned. Prof. Choudhary also mentioned that the world’s economy is now linked with science, technology, and innovation; economic diplomacy is linked with science and technology capacity building and linking innovation with the production sector.

He said Ambassador Sirohey presented examples of best practices and advocated a focused approach toward economic diplomacy in Pakistan. Moreover, Professor Choudhary said that this handbook is for everyone interested in global diplomacy and economic advancement.