Sindh government, St Petersburg sign MoU to enhance trade

KARACHI: Sindh government has entered into a cooperation agreement with St Petersburg to promote partnerships in the fields of trade and business, science and technology, education and research, sports and culture respectively, a statement said on Monday.  Provincial planning and development minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and St Petersburg governor Georgie Sergeevich signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in St Petersburg on Monday. The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials of Russian Federation along with Sindh Planning and Development Board chairman Muhammad Waseem, Sindh Board of Investment chairperson, and Sindh chief minister’s principal secretary Sohail Rajput. The MoU will facilitate exchanges between the regions in business, culture, art, tourism, and technology, to bring both countries closer, and to rekindle the historic relationship.

Prior to the formal signing of the MoU, Sindh government officials met the president of the St Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, and discussed cooperation in many sectors.

The SBI chairperson confirmed that collaboration in textiles, light industry, medical industry power machines and energy sector would deliver fantastic results. The counterparts from St Petersburg agreed that there was need to promote cooperation between the two.

Geographical proximity along with historical ties and cultural values shared by many parts of the Russian Federation and Pakistan would give impetus to drawing the two countries closer.

A number of ways of cooperating subsequent to signing of the MOU were discussed. These included setting up of business facilitation centres in Karachi and St Petersburg, to enhance engagement between businessmen in both countries. A greater role for culture and tourism departments was planned and it was expected that people between both the countries would work together and travel more for business and pleasure.