Syria proposes joint business council with Pakistan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discusses trade with a Syrian delegation.—APP ISLAMABAD: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani on Thursday proposed establishing a Pakistan-Syria Joint Business Council to facilitate direct interaction between the business communities of the two countries. The proposal, among others, was made during a meeting between the Syrian minister and Pakistan’s…
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani presented a proposal on Thursday for establishing a Pakistan-Syria Joint Business Council. The goal of the proposed council is to enable direct interaction between the business communities of both nations. This proposal was part of a meeting with Pakistan's Commerce Minister, Jam Kamal Khan, during which they discussed ways to strengthen economic cooperation and boost bilateral trade and investment.
During a separate meeting, Syrian delegation head Hassan also met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. In his discussions, Hassan highlighted potential areas for cooperation, such as housing, real estate, energy, transportation, seaports, agriculture, industry, and human resource development. He emphasized the vast potential of bilateral trade and urged sustained business engagement.
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan suggested close coordination between trade authorities of both countries to determine priority sectors and create a practical roadmap for cooperation. He proposed organizing virtual meetings between Pakistani and Syrian businesses prior to in-person engagements to facilitate focused business matchmaking.
Khan also advocated for reviving the Pakistan-Syria Joint Ministerial Commission and its relevant working groups to provide a structured framework for advancing cooperation across various sectors. He further stressed the importance of leveraging existing mechanisms between the chambers of commerce in both countries through regular exchanges, business delegations, and business-to-business engagements.
Syrian delegation head Hassan also met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during which the premier emphasized translating the enduring Pakistan-Syria friendship into enhanced cooperation in politics, defense, trade, investment, education, and human resource development. Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's support for Syria's unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and expressed the government's readiness to support Syria's position on the Golan Heights. He invited President Ahmed al-Sharaa to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient date.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held delegation-level talks with the Syrian minister, reaffirming the longstanding brotherly ties and agreeing to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest. They also discussed regional and international developments, including Palestine, the Golan Heights, Afghanistan, the situation in South Asia, and Middle East affairs.
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan announced that the first round of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Pakistan and South Korea had successfully concluded. The second round of negotiations was expected to take place soon. The conference, attended by over 170 Pakistani and Korean entrepreneurs, resulted in the signing of six memoranda of understanding between companies from both countries.
Another conference is set to be held in Seoul in March 2027 to capitalize on the momentum generated by the CEPA negotiations.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
