ISLAMABAD – SAARC Chamber President Ruwan Edirisinghe Friday said thestate-of-the-art 10-storey new building of chamber headquarters inIslamabad would be a platform for business communities for coming togetherand discussing the prospects of doing business together besides inculcatingthe spirit of trust with its neighbours, showing solidarity and forgingwith them a habit of cooperation.
Talking to media persons prior to his departure to Sri Lanka at theconclusion of his two-day visit to Pakistan, he said he was much sanguineabout the future of the SAARC chamber and said, “We will have to underwritethe creation of regional public goods for South Asians to integrate sittinghere from chamber’s permanent headquarters,” says a press release issuedhere Friday.
“We can utilize this capacious building for launching pad of optimalutilization of the region’s natural resources, building regionalinfrastructure, creating connectivity within the region and with the world,with energy grids, cross-border transport networks, coastal shipping, airlinks, roads, railways and waterways, besides flood and other naturaldisaster mitigation and prevention measures”, he said.
Ruwan Edirisinghe highlighted that although SAARC region holds immensetrade and investment potential, being home to 21% of world’s population, itstill remains one of the least integrated regional blocs withintra-regional trade constituting only 5% of the total world trade, incomparison to 51% for The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and25% for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He said SAARC member countries must focus on removal of non-tariff barriersand must work for enhancing B2B interaction to boost trade.
Chairman Building Committee SAARC CCI Senior Vice President Iftikhar AliMalik on the occasion said SAARC CCI building was almost completed and onlyfinishing work was underway under the supervision of high profileinternationally accredited architects and designers.
He said the government of Pakistan and magnates have contributed 90 percent of the total of the cost of this project.
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He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional cooperation under theumbrella of SAARC for promoting welfare of the people of South Asia,improving their quality of life, economic progress, social uplift andcultural cooperation.
Iftikhar Malik said social-political dialogues among the member states wereindispensable for unleashing socioeconomic potential of South Asia.
The government and private sector should join hands for integration of theregion. If all tangible steps were taken, only furniture market in theregion would reach a colossal figure of $5.4 billion by 2020.
“Remedial measures may push the regional trade to as high as $170 billionwithin two years,” he concluded.
Zubair Ahmad Malik SAARC Chamber Adviser, Malik Sohail Hussain, ChairmanCo-ordination Committee UBG, Zulfiqar Ali Butt Deputy Secretary GeneralSAARC Chamber, Ms Fatima Anwar, Associate Director Communication and a teamof renowned architects and builders were also present on the occasion.
