Pakistan, Romania To Expand Defence Ties

4 August 2016

The Pakistan-Romanian relationship has evolved on many fronts since 1964 when diplomatic relations were first realised. Both the countries have also developed strong economic, trade and cultural ties, rooted in decades-old history.

Romanian Ambassador Emilian Ion said this while addressing a public talk on "Pak-Romanian Relations," organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) on Wednesday. At present, both countries were looking to expand economic cooperation, as well as to enhance their import and export ties, he added. He noted that Pakistan and Romania had agreed to expand their bilateral defence cooperation, and had also signed various agreements on defence production and relevant areas.

The ambassador said that Pakistan was a cultural treasure trove and stated that because of its strategic location, Pakistan held a significant economic potential which needed to be followed up by the Pakistan-Romanian business council in Karachi. With respect to trade, both countries could greatly benefit from each other.

"The present trade figure is more than $300 million. Romanian imports from Pakistan include cotton, surgical instruments and shoes, while Pakistan, among other things, has started to increase demand for Romanian flowers and canola for its oil industry." He voiced his confidence regarding the future relations between Romania and Pakistan and thanked the Pakistani people for their hospitality during his stay here.

ISSI Board of Governors Chairman Ambassador Khalid Mahmood also praised Ambassador Ion in his welcoming address, and called him "a very seasoned diplomat in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy." He also appreciated the support provided by Romania to Pakistan in acquisition of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) with the European Union (EU) countries and also highlighted the corporation in the fields of media and education. He also underlined that Pakistan highly valued its friendly relations with Romania and was committed to strengthening ties and enhancing long-lasting cooperation.

 

Source : dailytimes.com.pk