Belgian Ambassador to Pakistan, Patrick Renauld has termed Peshawar a big and vast trade centre for Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs), saying that the city has enormous potential of investment. The Belgian ambassador was addressing the inaugural ceremony of a one-day Catalogue Show jointly organised under the auspices of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) and Belgian embassy in Islamabad here on Thursday.
The Belgian ambassador also assured Sarhad Chamber that the traders and industrialists recommended by this body would be issued visas on priority bases.
He said that the purpose of the holding of the catalogue show was to attract the business community of NWFP towards the products manufactured in Belgium. He said that the show would also help in promotion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Belgium.
Addressing on this occasion, senior vice president of SCCI, Sharafat Ali Mubarak termed the holding of catalogue show a welcome step by both Sarhad Chamber and Embassy of Belgium in Islamabad. He suggested joint ventures between Belgium and business community of NWFP in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan.
Stressing need on the promotion of bilateral trade between both countries, Sharafat Ali Mubarak demanded facilitating of NWFP business community in the issuance of visas. He said that Peshawar has become golden gate to Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics. He called for increase in foreign investment in Pakistan and promotion of trade relations with developed countries of the world.
Those who were present on the occasion were including president, SCCI Malik Niaz Ahmad, Trade Commission in Belgian Embassy Abid Hussain, Commercial Officer Shaukat Nawaz Khan Niazi, members of the executive committee SCCI and a large number of traders and industrialists.