Minister for enhancing market access

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan on Monday stressed the need to enhance market access for developing countries, special facilitation for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and e-commerce at the World Trade Organization.

The minister met a selective group of trade ministers in Oslo, Norway in which 25 of the 164 members were invited to deliberate on the trade and economic challenges being faced by the global community.

During the meeting with trade minister, it was agreed that economic cooperation and trade will be reinvigorated with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce on Monday, the minister also met trade minister of Norway ahead of the WTO meeting and discussed ways and means to increase trade between the two countries.

Major economies, including China, European Union, US, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Japan, India, Switzerland, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Korea, Argentina and Pakistan are represented by their trade ministers.

Khan highlighted the problems being faced by the Pakistani farmers and agriculture community, especially cotton growers and demanded a level-playing field for cotton farmers at the international markets. He appreciated the contribution being made by Norwegian companies led by Telenor. The European Free Trade Association is a regional trade organisation and free trade area consisting of four European States, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.