ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Australia have exchanged views on ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment with a special focus on cooperation in agriculture and information and communication technology.

Pakistan and Australia held the 8th Session of Pakistan-Australia Senior Officials Talks (SOTs) as well as trade talks in Islamabad on March 16, 2023. Additional Foreign Secretary (Asia-Pacific) Mumtaz Zahra Baloch led the Pakistan side, while the Australian side was led by First Assistant Secretary for North and South Asia Gary Cowan.

According to Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, who is also the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, in the SOTs, the two sides had a comprehensive exchange of views on bilateral cooperation, including high-level exchanges, cooperation in political, economic, development, science and technology, education, defence, security and counter-terrorism, migration and climate change.

She stated that the two sides also briefed each other on their respective foreign policy priorities and discussed cooperation in multilateral settings. She said that Pakistan’s side briefed the Australian side on the regional situation in South Asia including the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the grave and systematic violations of human rights in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The spokesperson added that Australia and Pakistan also held Trade Talks in Islamabad. Pakistan side was led by Additional Secretary (Trade Diplomacy), Ahsan Ali Mangi of the Ministry of Commerce while the Australian side was led by First Assistant Secretary for North and South Asia Gary Cowan.

The two sides discussed bilateral trade and investment matters with a special focus on cooperation in agriculture and information and communication technology.

Enhanced trade access and issues relating to mutual protection of intellectual property rights especially geographical indicators for basmati rice were also discussed, she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023