Pakistan desires to expand trade ties with all EU countries: FM Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan was determined to expand economic and trade ties with all member countries of the European Union.

He said this while speaking at a dinner hosted by him in honour of members of the European Parliament and Parliament of Romania, in Bucharest, Radio Pakistan reported.

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He said Pakistan, an emerging market of more than 200 million people, provided immense opportunities for investment.

Members of the Parliament of Romania and the European Parliament also expressed their desire to promote economic relations with Pakistan.

Later talking to the Pakistani community in Romania, Qureshi said overseas Pakistanis had been given voting rights and now they could participate in the policymaking of the country.

Pleased to meet our Overseas Pakistanis who serve as an anchor for Pak-Romanian ties as well as Romanian MEPs, parliamentarians, think tank leaders, members of the academia and key business stakeholders, discussing a diversity of matters from economic to socio-political. pic.twitter.com/7zgCqYAHcM

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— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) January 9, 2022

He said Pakistan was focusing on increasing exports to the European markets. He said there were immense opportunities to expand ties between Pakistan and Romania.

“I will talk to the Romanian foreign minister about giving more facilities to Pakistanis living in Romania.”

The FM said one section of Pakistanis was sending its hard-earned money to Pakistan while another one was looting and taking money away from the country. He said overseas Pakistanis had opened 300,000 digital accounts and sent $3 billion through them in a short time.

The Pakistani diaspora was given facilities so that it could buy houses and cars in Pakistan, he told.

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The foreign minister during his visit to the Pakistani embassy in Bucharest also inaugurated the Trade and Cultural Exhibition Hall.

The hall will be used for holding exhibitions to display and promote goods imported from Pakistan, encouraging tourism and highlighting the soft image of Pakistan.