CPEC further enhances importance of Pakistan in region: Indonesian envoy

SIALKOT: Indonesian Ambassador Adam M Tugio on Tuesday said that enhancing of bilateral trade between Indonesia and Pakistan was a big challenge for him.

Addressing local industrialists and exporters at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here, he said that Indonesia and Pakistan were two brotherly Muslim states, which had been enjoying warm and cordial relations since long, but their trade ties were not up to their actual potential. Adam M Tugio said that Pakistan had already been enjoying a very unique and important geo-strategic position in the region and the start of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had further enhanced its importance.

He viewed that because of the mega project of CPEC, Pakistan not only could enjoy phenomenal economic growth and prosperity, but also promote the economies of India and Bangladesh. He said that the CPEC would make Pakistan a hub for the exploration of parts of western China and central Asia. He opined that the CPEC would certainly transform the economic condition of Pakistan and many other countries in the region.

He invited the local business community to come and enjoy huge opportunities of investment in Indonesia. He said that trade between ASEAN countries and Pakistan was only one per cent of the trade between China and ASEAN, which indicated that ASEAN region was full of opportunities of economic growth. Adam M Tugio, while highlighting the unique ties between Indonesia and Pakistan, viewed that both the countries were blessed with a number of similarities from facial features to Jinnah Caps and from dozens of various popular and delicious dishes to sandals. He added that the God Almighty had blessed both the countries with numerous beautiful sites. Adam M Tugio said that facilitation of bilateral trade was his most important job and meaningful steps were being taken for the business-to-business meetings, in that connection.

Earlier, in his speech, SCCI president Qaiser Iqbal Baryar said that joint efforts were required to enhance the bilateral trade and for that purpose aggressive exchange of trade delegations and holding of the single country exhibitions could be highly effective.

He said that during 2019-20 volume of the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Indonesia was about $2.5 billion and it was hugely in the favour of Indonesia. SCCI senior vice president Khurram Aslam Butt, vice chairman Ansar Aziz Puri and secretary general Tariq Mehmood Malik were also present apart from Mian Naeem Javed, Aneel Sarfraz, M Ibrahim and others. Later, Adam M Tugio visited some industrial units.