Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and Women Entrepreneurs Association (WEA) Bangladesh have agreed to organise a joint meeting once a year in Pakistan or in Bangladesh. Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed by KCCI President Majyd Aziz and WEA President Sabrina Islam on Saturday, both the organisations stressed the need for build a dependable, pragmatic and advantageous relationship between the two countries.
They also agreed to consolidate the friendly and cordial relations between the two organisations through an increased co-operation mode among the industrialists, businesspersons and entrepreneurs of the two organisations.
Both the organisations agreed that there should be an enhanced growth in interaction between them and expressed the hope that this MoU would be mutually favourable to both the countries.
Stressing the need for maximum dissemination of information, both the organisations were of the view that it could lead to further increase in bilateral trade between the industrialists, businesspersons and entrepreneurs of the two organisations. The KCCI and WEA agreed that co-ordinated efforts be made to promote joint ventures, initiate partnerships, provide technical expertise, introduce licensing possibilities and arrange visits of industrialists, businesspersons, and entrepreneurs of the two organisations, in collaboration with the boards of investments of both the countries and the respective diplomatic entities.
Acknowledging the importance of mutual co-operation between the two organisations, they agreed that strategic and concrete proposals, suggestions and recommendations that were consequential and significant in the acceleration of bilateral relations of the two countries needed to be formulated to achieve the following objectives:
-- Image building and appropriate action to dispel negative perceptions.
-- Safeguard investments and bilateral activities among members of both organisations.
-- Attraction of investment and trade opportunities.
-- Intensive efforts to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks and inconsistent government policies.
-- Lobby for a mutually beneficial free trade agreement between the two countries.
-- Organise and maintain a database to identifying and promoting products and services.
-- Provide information on pool of human resources available in each organisation.
-- Take pro-active position on the initiation of investment protection, taxation and other treaties.
-- Prepare and maintain information on market, culture, religious, and national factors.
-- Initiate measures to enhance mutual trust, patience and transparency.
-- Promote joint promotions, marketing and ventures.
Both the KCCI and WEA agreed to unequivocally call upon their governments to make sincere efforts to introduce confidence-building measures so that trade opportunities were augmented. They also stressed the need for diplomatic initiative , aimed at developing geopolitical co-operation.