Mamnoon terms Pak-Swiss trade relations important

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Friday terming Pakistan and Switzerland as important trade partners said the growing investment by Swiss multinational companies was reinforcing bilateral ties and spoke their confidence on Pakistan.

Talking to the outgoing Ambassador of Switzerland Marc Pierre George here at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the Presidents said Pakistan greatly valued its relations with Switzerland, which were based on mutual trust, amity and cooperation.

The President underlined that Switzerland stood among the top five foreign investors in Pakistan during 2015-16, however, pointed out that current bilateral trade volume of around US $400 million per annum did not commensurate with the true potential and needed to be increased.

He appreciated the work undertaken by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) focusing on drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and support for displaced persons in the areas worst affected by terrorism and natural calamities.

The President also commended the Swiss government's 'Excellence Scholarship Programme' and hoped that this cooperation would further grow and more students from Pakistan would be able to benefit from Swiss educational and poly-technical institutions. He called for establishing linkages between the educational institutions of both the countries to benefit from each other's expertise.

The President also congratulated the outgoing ambassador on successful completion of his assignment and wished him good health and a successful career ahead. --APP