The second meeting of Tajikistan-Pakistan Joint Business Council took place in Dushanbe on July 5 to promote enhancement of bilateral trade and commercial ties.
According to the press center of Tajikistan’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), the meeting focused on issues related to the possibility of further diversification of trade and economic ties between the two countries. The main emphasis was reportedly placed on development of trade between Tajikistan and Pakistan.
Addressing the meeting, Pakistan’s Ministers for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan noted that commercial ties would bring people together and help with establishing peace and stability in the region.
“Although trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and Tajikistan are expanding intensively, there is still considerable room for expansion of economic ties,” Mr. Dastgir Khan noted.
Meanwhile, the head of Tajikistan’s CCI, Sharif Said, outlined sectors like agriculture, light industry (textiles), and pharmaceutics, as areas that could drive the bilateral trade between the two countries.
The meeting participants noted that the current volume of bilateral trade between Tajikistan and Pakistan does not reflect the real potential.
According to data of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Pakistan last year valued at little more than 55 million U.S. dollars. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Pakistan estimated at more than 30 million U.S. dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Pakistan worth some 25 million U.S. dollars. Compared to 2015, the two-way trade between Tajikistan and Pakistan last year decreased by 14 percent.
Tajik and Pakistani leaders on July 5 vowed to boost economic cooperation between their countries and increase the trade turnover between Tajikistan and Pakistan to 500 million U.S. dollars in the coming three years.
The second meeting of Joint Business Council between the two countries was held on the sidelines of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Tajikistan.
Recall, a Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum was also organized in Dushanbe last month where business persons from the two sides in the pharmaceuticals, textiles and construction sectors participated.
Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was on a two-day official visit to From July 5 to 6 to participate in a quadrilateral summit of CASA-1000 member nations and a trilateral summit between Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif was accompanied by his Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan and Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
