President for further cementing Pak-Jordan ties

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday emphasised to transform friendly traditional relations between Pakistan and Jordan into a strong economic partnership to the mutual benefit of the two countries. He further said that Pakistan and Jordan enjoy close brotherly relations embedded in shared history, beliefs and culture.

Talking to Faisal Akef El-Fayez President of the Senate of Jordan, who along-with a delegation called on him at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president said that Pakistan accords great importance to its relations with Jordan and welcomed the cooperation that both countries extend to each other at regional and international fora. He said that Pakistan offers profitable opportunities for investment in its various sectors and called upon Jordanian entrepreneurs to benefit from it.

He apprised that private sector of Pakistan is keen to invest in Jordan adding that the latter can benefit from Pakistan’s expertise in developing its textile sector. He stressed upon utilizing the platform of Organization of Islamic Cooperation to forge unity among Muslim Ummah and to address challenge being confronted by it.

He appreciated that the government and people of Jordan have always stood by Pakistan in its difficult hour. He lauded the Jordanian government on providing shelter to hapless refugees of Syria. He expressed gratitude that Jordan has assured of its support to Pakistan for memberships of Human Rights Council of United Nations, Board of Governors of International Energy Agency, International Telecommunication Unit and Economic and Social Council.

He apprised that each year under Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme, Pakistan allocates 31 seats for Jordanian students in different educational institutions in the fields of pharmacy, dentistry and engineering. He hoped that these students will play a role of
 bridge to bring the two countries further closer. 

President said that there should be regular exchange of cultural, educational and trade delegations between the two countries to enhance people-to-people contacts. He called for exploring avenues of cooperation to further enhance defense ties between the two countries and also appreciated the government of Jordan for providing F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan in 2015.

President of the Senate of Jordan, Faisal Akef El-Fayez said that Jordan and Pakistan have strong bilateral relations and his country is keen to further expand cooperation in various fields. He said that Jordan wants to benefit from Pakistan’s expertise in various sectors. He lauded the role and sacrifices of Pakistan in fight against terrorism and extremism and both countries share mutual perception in rooting out this menace.

President expressed his best wishes for His Majesty King Abdullah and also extended an invitation to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience. Later, President said that Pakistan offers excellent incentives for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and asked the Ambassador-designate to brief the business community in Denmark about the opportunities in Pakistan, especially in the field of renewable energy.

Talking to Ambassador-designate of Pakistan to Denmark Syed Zulfiqar Haider Gardezi and Ambassador-designate of Pakistan to Poland Shafqat Ali Khan, who called on him separately at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, President highlighted that although volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Denmark has been steadily growing there is a need for further enhancement of our exports to Denmark, both in the conventional and non-conventional items. He hoped that his appointment will further strengthen Pakistan-Denmark relations in all spheres. He noted that Pakistan and Denmark enjoy warm and cordial relations and the two countries support each others’ candidatures at various international fora. He emphasized that Ambassador-designate should make efforts to obtain support for Pakistan’s candidature to the Human Rights Council for the term 2018-2020.

He pointed out that Parliamentarians and think tanks play an important role in the formulation of policies of any government. Thus, he advised the Ambassador-designate to make serious efforts to reach out to these segments of the Danish society with a view to brief them on developments in Indian-occupied Kashmir and Afghanistan. He also urged to highlight the soft image of Pakistan. He directed the Ambassador-designate to provide efficient consular services to the members of the Pakistani diaspora and to remain in touch with them to keep abreast with their issues and problems. He wished Ambassador-Designate success in discharge of his new assignment and asked him to convey his best wishes and greetings to Her Majesty Queen Margrethe-II of Denmark.

Talking to Shafqat Ali Khan, President said that Polish investors should be urged to invest in the fields of Agriculture, Food Processing, Coal, Energy and Defence in Pakistan adding that Pakistan should also benefit from the expertise of Poland in the sectors of Industry and technology. He advised the Ambassador – designate to utilize his best capabilities in further deepening the bilateral relation between the two countries. He said that Pakistan considers Poland a very important country in Europe. He emphasized that both countries should hold high level negotiations in political, economic and defence sectors. He directed him to work for the early implementation of already existing agreements between the two countries.

He also pointed out that bilateral trade between the two countries is below its true potential which needs to be increased. He also highlighted that Polish investors can also benefit from better investment opportunities in the fields of agricultural, Food Processing, Coal, Energy and Defence. He also expressed his good wishes to the Ambassador – designate in discharge of his new responsibilities.