National Chamber hosts Pak Envoy at ‘Meet the High Commissioner’ program

The High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, Dr. Shahid Ahmad Hashmat met the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka on 25 April and spoke about ‘Bilateral Trade between Sri Lanka and Pakistan’.

The High Commissioner said that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are linked by strong bonds of culture and history. He underscored that Sri Lanka was the first country to sign Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Pakistan in 2005, which shows importance of economic relationship between the two countries. Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown substantially since signing of FTA, he added. 

He further highlighted that Pakistan has a very large domestic market with a nearly 210 million population and the overall volume of Pakistan’s economy is $ 400 billion. He added that Pakistan’s huge consumer base market makes it an attractive investment destination for different industries. The High Commissioner thanked the National Chamber for arranging the seminar that shows its keenness to promote bilateral trade between both countries. He was of the view that with the conducive environment and immense opportunities which Pakistan offers, Sri Lankan products and services would find receptive customers in Pakistan as Sri Lanka has a very friendly image in the eyes of Pakistani people.  

He said that both countries have the potential to increase the trade volume and stressed the need to carve out ways and means to exploit the available potential. He also emphasised to exchange more trade delegations between both countries which will help to understand either country’s market.   

At the conclusion of the program, a question-answer session was also held and various issues such as bilateral trade, business visa, etc. came under discussion. He assured the participants that the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo will extend all possible facilitation to Sri Lankan businesses in promoting their commercial ties with Pakistani counterparts.