Alberto Rubio
Pakistan and Spain have almost doubled their bilateral trade in the last three years to a value of $2 billion, Pakistan’s ambassador to Spain, Shujjat Ali Rathore, announced during a reception on Friday to mark Pakistan’s 74th National Day.
In front of a large audience of ambassadors from all continents, the head of the Pakistani Mission encouraged Spanish companies “to continue to take advantage of Pakistan’s favourable business environment and its top ranking in the ease of doing business index”. He listed “textiles, housing and construction, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, agriculture and sporting goods” as sectors that “offer ample and promising avenues for collaboration”.
Shujjat Ali Rathore added that to facilitate foreign investments, his government has set up the Special Investment Promotion Council (SIFC) “as a single platform to streamline processes and remove bureaucratic hurdles”.
The ambassador also expressed his satisfaction with the “significant progress” that diplomatic relations with Spain have experienced in recent years. He cited as an example “the success of the 5th round of Annual Bilateral Consultations, held in February 2022 after a five-year hiatus”. He also mentioned the visits of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, to Pakistan in 2021, and the reciprocal visit of the head of Pakistani diplomacy to Spain in January 2022 as a sign of “our commitment to deepen cooperation”.
A commitment that was ratified by the Director General for North America, Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Moreno Blanco, during his speech, when he stressed his “confidence in the future of these relations at all levels”. Moreno added that “there is enormous potential in which there are still aspects to be explored”.
The Ambassador added that “beyond bilateral engagement, Pakistan values its multifaceted relations with the European Union” and, in particular, “Spain’s strong support for the renewal of Pakistan’s GSP+ (Generalised System of Preferences Plus), which underlines the solidarity between our nations and has significantly increased our volume of exports, fostering economic growth and development”.
Shujjat Ali Rathore, who will shortly complete his mission in Spain, made special mention in his speech of the Pakistani diaspora in Spain, which numbers more than 100,000 people, and of which he noted that “it constitutes a solid link between our two nations, contributing positively to the Spanish economy and enriching the cultural tapestry of their adopted homeland”.
