Pakistan : Govt inks 4 pacts with Tunisia to boost bilateral trade

At the end of two-day Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Islamabad Tunisia and Pakistan signed four bilateral agreements in an attempt to boost annual trade volume to US $200-300 million within four years. Present yearly trade volume reaches only around $25 million.
These pacts also aim to improve cooperation in industrial, science and technology fields.
Mushtaq Ali Cheema, Pakistan Minister for Textile Industry said that these deals were bound to enhance trade among the countries but both sides needed to work hard to achieve a productive outcome.
Mushtaq Ali Cheema, Minister for Textile Industry and Nauraiz Shakoor, Federal Minister for Science and Technology signed the agreements on behalf of Pakistan while Afif Chelbi, Minister for Industry, Energy, Small and Medium Size Enterprises, Tunisia signed the agreement on behalf of his government.
Afif Chelbi stressed that Tunisia offered wide range of opportunities, especially since it would enjoy Euro-Mediterranean partnership and envisaging free trade area by 2010.
He further informed that country was keen to build integrated economic cooperation with Arab and Muslim world. Afif was optimistic about the target bilateral trade volume and said that textile would prove to be a major contributor.
Both sides agreed over constitution of Joint Working Group (JWG) on Industrial Cooperation which would assist establishment of joint ventures in the field of industry including SMEs.
Pakistan also urged Tunisian traders to invest in textile, apparel and garment sectors