Pakistan, Australia need to encourage trade liberalisation: Molloy

Deputy High Commissioner of Australia Paul Molloy has said that in order to boost trade between Australia and Pakistan, the two countries need to encourage trade liberalisation. He said this during a meeting with the President and Vice-President of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), here on Friday.
Speaking about the recent meeting of Joint Trade Committee (JTC) with the Pakistan government, Molloy said the first trade talks held with the new government were quite productive, which he hoped would open up vistas of trade expansion. He appreciated the efforts of the new government to overcome energy crisis in the country and said that the Pakistani businessmen could take benefit of huge potential available in Australian markets for textiles and other products.
He said that Australia was a second destination for education for Pakistani students after UK and nearly 33,000 Pakistanis were residing in Australia currently. He further said that Australia was providing assistance to improve the standard of education particularly technical education, promote technology along with developing business and investment opportunities in the private sector.
He assured to provide assistance to the FCCI Trade delegation, which planned to visit Australia in August and reiterated that Pakistani businessmen should avail the business potential for Pakistani products in Australian markets. He said that a trade delegation from Australia would visit Pakistan next month, however, he pointed out that due to fragile law and order situation in Pakistan, foreign investors were reluctant to make investment here.
Earlier in his welcome Address, President FCCI Mian Zahid Aslam said Pakistan and Australia had always enjoyed cordial and friendly relations and shared common perception about most of the international political and economic issues. "We appreciate Australia's generous assistance during floods and earthquake in the past years, co-operation in the fields of education, agriculture and vocational training," he added. He appreciated the Australian government development co-operation which had increased from $16 million in 2006-07 to $96 million in 2012-13.