Ahsan terms Pakistan, Middle East as strategic economic partners

Islamabad: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal Wednesday said: “There are vast opportunities of cooperation between Pakistan and the Middle Eastern countries in diverse areas”.

Addressing a conference in Islamabad, he stated that Pakistan can modernize its agriculture sector by attracting a sizeable investment from the Middle Eastern countries.

“We have to create a Green Revolution 2.0 in the country where we not only fulfill our domestic food requirements but also export the agriculture products,” added Iqbal.

Ahsan Iqbal said there is also a great scope of cooperation in the areas of Information Technology (IT), energy, mining, and tourism and skills development.

The Minister for Planning continued that Middle East is a strategic economic partner of Pakistan, adding that countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council have always stood by Pakistan in difficult times and proved to be a reliable partner.

Alluding to the recent developments in the Middle East especially the joining of SCO by Saudi Arabia and the role played by China in KSA-Iran rapprochement, the Minister for Planning and Development said that according to an estimate, trade between the GCC and the emerging Asian nations will increase to over six hundred billion dollars by 2030.

He said since Pakistan has a close relationship with all these countries, there are opportunities for the country to align itself with these changes.