ISLAMABAD, JUL 12 (DNA) – Dean of Diplomatic Corps Ambassador Bakhitbek Shabarbayev, on behalf of the diplomatic community paid glowing tributes to the outgoing ambassador of Romania Emilian ION during a farewell reception on Tuesday. The Dean of diplomatic corps further said Emilian ION spent more than seven years in Pakistan and during this tenure he contributed significantly towards promotion of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The outgoing ambassador of Romania in his address said he thoroughly enjoyed his stay in Pakistan and will always cherish fond memories throughout his life.

“I came in Islamabad in 2009 and soon after my arrival I realized that Pakistan is a nice and huge country with its people extremely hospitable”. I am very happy with the current level of relations between Romania and Pakistan and I hope this relationship will further strengthen in the coming days”.

He added, when he came to Pakistan the trade volume between the two counties was only 30 million USD and am pleased to share with you that now the trade volume between Romania and Pakistan stands at USD 300 million.

Read: I am leaving Pakistan with heavy heart, says Romanian envoy Emilian ION

He said he could achieve all these hallmarks with the support of Pakistan friends and I am sure this cooperation will continue in the coming days also.

I congratulate PRBC for proving to be a very active platform, by organizing, in the first three years, the visits of two Economic Delegations to Romania, and also by opening a sister company in Bucharest. Punjab, Romania business forum in Lahore is also on the anvil.

The reopening, in 2013, of the Honorary Consulates of Romania in Karachi and Lahore, as well as the opening of two new Honorary Consulates in Faisalabad (also in 2013, being the first of its kind in one of the most important Textile Centers of Pakistan) and Peshawar (in the summer of 2014).

It is also my wish to open a consultae in Quetta also. I am already in touch with the concerned quarters in this regard and hopefully I will share with you some good news in this regard, he added.

Cultural ties strengthened, says Emilian

Culture has been promoted through various means: especially music – Sufi Qawwali Groups have performed at a number of events organized by our Embassy, as well as by the Embassy of Pakistan in Romania.

Also, it is worth mentioning that there is an ongoing cooperation in the field of education: currently 14 Romanian teachers are teaching mathematics in Abdus Salam School of Mathematics in Lahore.

“I am very convinced that the near round of political consultations at high level between our Ministries of Foreign Affairs will assess the evolution and generate a Road Map, with concrete actions, that will aim towards further consolidating and promoting the bilateral relations between our countries, in the political, economic, cultural and all other fields of common interest’, he added.

In the end the Dean of Diplomatic Corps presented a gift to the outgoing ambassador on behalf of the entire diplomatic community.=DNA