The President Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Shahzad Ali Malik on Wednesday said that investment in joint ventures in the United Arab Emirates will ultimately strengthen trade linkages between the Pakistani and the global investors. Malik was speaking at a meeting with a delegation of the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA), headed by Peter-Michael Schuster.
He said that Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is an attractive project in Gulf. However, he invited the RAKIA officials to also look for and identify appropriate investment opportunities in Pakistan, especially in Punjab. The LCCI President said that Pakistan and Gulf States, particularly Ras Al Khaimah, share cordial cultural and historic relations and urged Pakistani investors to help cement these further.
Ras Al Khaimah offers many opportunities for doing business, which can and has benefited both brotherly nations, he said adding that Ras Al Khaimah has a transparent, tax and corruption free environment for business. UAE has stable economy and offers many business attractions such as international trade centres and conference facilities, he added.
Malik said that Ras Al Khaima is becoming the hub of business activities and this is due to the vision of Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Ras Al Khaima. He achieved this milestone of rapid economic growth by implementing vast organisational and economic reforms that transformed RAK into an attractive destination for foreign investment.
Speaking on the occasion, the delegation head Peter-Michael Schuster said that renowned for having one of the best regulatory environments in the region, RAKIA offers a highly attractive economic package to foreign investors, which include 100 per cent income and corporate tax exemptions, full repatriation of capital and profit, readily available labour, hassle-free licensing procedures, excellent airport and seaport facilities, and the absence of foreign exchange control, trade barriers and quotas.
Moreover, he said, Ras Al Khaimah's excellent infrastructure and logistic support, competitive energy cost, easy access to GCC countries, zero corruption and minimum bureaucracy, stable government and investor friendly policies have added to the emirate's global appeal.