‘Ethiopian airlines arrival to boost Pakistan, Africa ties’

Islamabad : Arrival of the Ethiopian Airlines in Pakistan would give a major boost to the relations between Pakistan and Africa by bolstering contacts among their people, said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Pakistan Jemal Beker Abdula on Saturday.

“Ethiopian Airlines that starting its operation from Karachi by next month will be a game-changer for the relations of Pakistan and Africa as the contacts among its people is not as strong as it should be,” the ambassador said during a meeting with the members of Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said two major issues which hampered the growth of bilateral relations especially trade between Pakistan and African countries were absence of institutional linkages and weak people-to-people contacts.

However, Ethiopia which was a gateway to Africa had a potential to bring the people of Pakistan and African countries closer, he added.

The Embassy of Ethiopia had worked out a comprehensive strategy to resolve those issues, he said while highlighting the steps so far taken to promote people-to-people contacts and establish institutional linkages between Ethiopia and Pakistan.

“Our embassy is inching closer to achieve its first target of bringing the Ethiopian Airlines in Pakistan,” said the ambassador who added that a trade agreement had already been signed between Pakistan and Ethiopia to formalise the trade between the two countries. More agreements would soon be signed to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries in diverse sectors, he added.

He said the embassy had also finalised preparations for a trade delegation to Ethiopia which would not only connect the Pakistani business community with the right people in his country, but also increase its presence in Africa. The delegation which was bound to Ethiopia on March 5 would include subsidised airfares and accommodation, business-to-business and government-to-business meetings as well as grand receptions and cultural nights hosted by the country’s leadership.

He said Ethiopia was the fastest growing economy in the world offering lucrative business, trade and investment opportunities with cheap cost of production including clean energy and skilled labour. Jemal Beker said the government of Ethiopia was supportive of the foreign investors as it has opened up its economy and encouraging private sector to take lead for development of the country.

Ethiopia and Pakistan had a vast potential for bilateral trade in the diverse sectors of economy including manufacturing, agriculture, agro processing, textile, cement, steel, chemicals and others, the ambassador remarked. Jemal Beker Abdula also visited the International Institute of Science, Art and Technology and addressed the students on the history of Pakistan and Ethiopia relations and its future prospects.

He highlighted the role of academia in promoting the people-to-people ties between the two countries.

On the occasion, University of Sialkot Chairman Board of Governors Faisal Manzoor said Pakistanis had religious association with Ethiopia which was a land of Hazrat Bilal Habeshi and King Nejashei. Nothing could stop these two nations from coming closer as their long-standing relations were anchored in shared values, culture and beliefs. He said the University of Sialkot and IISAT would offer full-funded scholarships to Ethiopian students.

Meanwhile, the ambassador also inaugurated the Sustainable Development Goals centre at the International Institute of Science, Arts and Technology (IIS­AT).