The Consul General of France, Jean Yves Berthault, said here on Wednesday that there is a greater possibility of exporting gems and precious and semi-precious stones from Pakistan to France
Briefing the members of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on possibilities of expanding trade between the two countries through joint ventures and technical collaborations in the fields of automobiles, engineering and defence equipment, he said that there is demand of Pakistani textile made-ups in France.
He informed the members that the visa section of the consulate in Karachi would be reopened shortly
Siraj Kassam Teli, President of KCCI, urged for strengthening economic ties between Pakistan and France.
He said that although the trade balance is in favour of Pakistan, the trade volume does not correspond to the good relations at the government level.
He apprised Berthault of the working of the Chamber and the present economic development activities taking place in the country, with specific reference to Karachi, which is the industrial and commercial hub of the country.
Referring to the law and order situation, Teli said that the image projected by international media about Karachi is very different from the ground realities, and the isolated incidents of terrorism are unduly highlighted.
He said that except for the incidents which happened last month, the overall law and order situation is quite satisfactory for the last many years, and the economic activity in the city has increased manifold, which also shows the confidence of business community on the economic policies of the government.
The president of KCCI said that the imposition of anti-dumping duty by European Union (EU) on Pakistan's bedlinen had caused great loss to Pakistan's exporters. He said that imposition of such barriers is in contrast of WTO regime, which aims to remove all trade barriers.