Shaheer Ahmed
Pakistan is always looking for ways to increase trade and make better terms with other countries around the world. This increases not only international relations but also boosts the economies of the said countries. It is for this reason that an understanding between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry took place on Sunday, in Islamabad.
The highlights of the meeting included potential trading opportunities, the issues of regional and global impacts, and the chances of promoting bilateral trade in various fields between the two countries.
The meeting took place with the Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry is here for the 48th OIC conference, which is to take place this place. Shah Mahmood Qureshi thanked Sameh for his participation in the OIC and the meeting to increase the potential trade between the two countries. It is very important to note that the bilateral trade between the two countries in the last fiscal year has increased to $432million.
Qureshi added, ‘’Participation in the joint air defence exercises in Egypt was also a manifestation of the strong defence ties between the brotherly countries.’’ He also said, ‘’Cultural relations could also serve as a platform to bring the people of the two countries closer and they would welcome solid proposals from the Egyptian side to further strengthen these ties.’’
The two foreign ministers also agreed to enhance high-level exchanges and to strengthen institutional engagement for adding further momentum to close collaboration on all issues of mutual interest. They also stressed the need to foster closer inter-parliamentary cooperation as part of people-to-people exchanges, while Qureshi highlighted the potential for increased cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, defence, tourism, agriculture, and higher education. Both foreign ministers concurred on the need to explore opportunities for such bilateral cooperation.
The two foreign ministers had a detailed exchange of the developments relating to Afghanistan. Qureshi emphasized the need for urgent measures to avert humanitarian and economic crises in Afghanistan. He drew attention to the improvement in the security situation and stressed the importance of constructive engagement by the international community to help promote the objectives of the durable peace and stability of Afghanistan and the prosperity of the Afghan people.
It seemed like a successful meeting, and if all goes according to plan, then soon–there is a high potential of good terms between the two countries.
