LAHORE– Kyrgyzstan offers market of over 180 million people to Pakistani merchandise. Pakistani businessmen should come forward and avail this opportunity.
These views were expressed by the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan Erik Beishembiev while speaking at a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Senior Vice President Ali Hussam Asghar and Vice President Mian Zahid Jawaid Ahmad also spoke on the occasion. LCCI Executive Committee Members Haji Asif Sehar, Shahzad Aslam, Haris Attiq and Malik Muhammad Khalid.
The Ambassador said that his country greatly values relations with Pakistan that is why it seeks further diversification and strengthening of these relations. He said that Kyrgyz-Pakistani historical relations can be traced back centuries ago. Our peoples have long time and close cultural and spiritual ties. “Today our countries enjoy excellent political relations and regularly exchange visits on the highest and high levels”, he added.
He said that both countries are rich in mineral resources, have high skilled human resources, excellent opportunities for developing industry and agriculture, attracting foreign investments for joint production and supply of goods, including for export.
The Ambassador Erik said that Kyrgyzstan is interested in development of short transportation links through its territory between Central Asia and China and Pakistan with access to the Gwadar and Karachi ports using railway and automobile roads, which are being constructed in the framework of CPEC.
Today shortest automobile roads are connecting China to Kyrgyzstan through two border mountain passes in Kyrgyzstan – Torugart in the North and – Erkeshtam in the South, located only about 200 km from Chinese city of Kashgar. The road through Kyrgyz border post Irkestam is the shortest way from Fergana valley, which is shared between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, to China.
LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan enjoy friendly and cordial relations. The meager trade values verify that our business and economic relations have not been adequately developed.
He said that very few items are being traded as only pharmaceutical products are mainly exported from Pakistan whereas trailers and semi-trailers are imported from Kyrgyzstan.
“We have been talking about exploiting the untapped potential of trade in Central Asian Republics but no significant results have been ever produced”, the LCCI president said and added that the main reasons are least knowledge about each other’s markets and lack of regular bank to bank channels.
LCCI Senior Vice President Ali Hussam Asghar and Vice President Mian Zahid Jawaid Ahmad said that organizing single country exhibitions on reciprocal basis, exchange of trade delegations and arranging country weeks can prove vital tools for introduction and marketing of products in each other’s countries.
At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador along with LCCI office-bearers took a round of the various LCCI departments and appreciated its working.
He particularly appreciated one window operation for LCCI members.— PRESS RELEASE
