Indonesia willing to bolster trade ties with Pakistan

The acting Indonesian Consul and Head of Economic Consulate in Karachi, Hikmat Molajawan has said that Indonesia is willing to expand trade ties with Pakistan.
He said the two countries already have deep cultural and political relations and his country is considering to further bolstering these ties through enhanced economic relations and expansion of trade.
The acting Indonesian Consul expressed these views while visiting the Pakistan Business Forum office here to discuss the ways and means to strengthen economic ties and expand trade between the two countries.
On the occasion, Chairman PBF, Mian Tanweer Ahmed Magoon presented an introduction of the forum and highlighted its role in the promotion of trade and industry in Pakistan.
He also threw light on the activities of International Business Forum (IBF), founded by PBF in 1995, and explained that the idea behind IBF was to set up a global business networking among Muslim nations, providing a forum to stimulate and foster trade and mutual investment relationships.
Mian Tanweer also informed the visitors about forthcoming '8th IBF Congress' to be held from 15 to 18 September this year at Istanbul, Turkey.
The PBF chief underlined the need of close co-operation between the two Muslim countries at all levels and observed that the frequent exchange of trade delegations, individual visits, holding of single-country exhibition and entering into joint-ventures as well as improved transport and travelling facilities, would brighten more prospects of economic co-operation.
Mian Tanweer further suggested that Indonesia being a Muslim country should prefer imports from Pakistan and pointed out that so far the trade between the two countries was limited to a few items only.
In this perspective, he called for removing all the obstacles for the improvement and expansion of trade between the two countries.
Dr Qazi Ahmed Kamal, Incharge International Relations Department, said that in view of the forthcoming WTO regime both countries needed to adopt new strategies to meet global changes.
Moreover, he stated that economic prosperity was directly linked with political stability in this region. Dr Kamal said both countries have similar foundations and could serve as role model for developing countries having abundant resources at their disposal.