MOSCOW – Senior Vice President (SVP) Federation of Pakistan Chambers ofCommerce and Industry (FPCCI) Mazhar Ali Nasir has said that the businesscommunity of Pakistan is eager to improve trade and economic relations withRussia.
While talking to Russian trade officials at the sidelines of the 22nd St.Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Saturday, Mazhar AliNasir said that the imbalance of tilting 100 percent west for seven decadesshould be corrected by becoming closer to the regional friends like Turkeyand Russia, it said.
He further stated that Pakistan and Russia are in various business dealsworth over $10 billion which will take bilateral relations to new heights.
The Vice President FPCCI Atif Ikram Sheikh, Chairman Coordination MalikSohail, and Director General South Asian Strategic Stability Institute DrMaria Sultan are also part of the delegation attending SPIEF.Amid changing circumstances, Pakistan and Russia have been trying to open anew chapter in their bilateral relations and the visit of FPCCI’sdelegation is part of the efforts to increase bilateral trade, Mr Nasirtold the leaders of different Russian Chambers of Commerce.
He said that fifteen thousand delegates from seventy-two countries areattending the forum while business deals worth 100 billion dollars havebeen finalised which indicate its importance.
Mazhar Ali Nasir said that Pakistan and Russia have taken a pro-activeapproach to take the relationship forward and look for realizing thepotential in economic cooperation.
Malik Sohail said that SPIEF is an important event, therefore, France’sPresident Emmanuel Macron, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Japan’s PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe, China’s Vice President Wang Qishan, and InternationalMonetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde are among the notedparticipants.
India has a good presence at the forum while African countries have alsoestablished their pavilions but Pakistan’s Government has ignored the forumwhich is amazing, he added.
He praised the services of Honorary Consul General Dr Abdul Rauf Rind andassured that FPCCI will not only fully participate in all such forums inthe future but also arrange Pakistan’s pavilion.—INP