FM pledges to develop strong contacts with African nations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi has expressed the commitment to develop a strong relationship with the African countries.

Addressing the Envoys’ Conference titled Engage Africa in Islamabad on Thursday, he said the foreign office will fully facilitate and cooperate with the commerce ministry to achieve this objective.

Adviser on Commerce Razaq Dawood said our vision is to double trade with the African countries in the next five years which currently hovers between three and four billion dollars.

He said Pakistan’s exports to Africa have risen to over one billion dollars.

He said our locally manufactured tractors are making their way in several African countries including Mozambique and Angola.

Referring to the continent’s potential, the Adviser said Pakistan is also holding a trade conference in Nairobi next year exploit the opportunities there.

Alluding to the improvement in country’s economic indicators, the Foreign Minister said economic diplomacy is important for socio economic development of Pakistan.

He reiterated that foreign policy can also become effective and meaningful if the country is economically strong.

Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) and OIC Ministerial Standing committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) organised a seminar on Science Diplomacy at COMSTECH auditorium.

The event was also supported by Economic Cooperation Organization Science Foundation (ECOSF), Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in South (COMSATS) and Technology Times.

The seminar focused on the role of science in diplomacy noting that science, technology and innovation have also been recognized as the key drivers for the achievement of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.