RAWALPINDI, 03 AUG, (DNA) –   A 12 member trade delegation led by Ambassador of Thailand Suchart Liengsaengthong visited the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) here on Wednesday.

Addressing the large gathering of traders Thai envoy said that the purpose of bringing Thai businessmen was to remove some misconceptions about security situation in Pakistan and to provide them first-hand knowledge about the country’s business and economic potential.

He said that Pakistan and Thailand would sign Free Trade Agreement (FTA) later this year and it will boost bilateral trade by reducing tariffs and removing other trade barriers between the two countries. He said that the volume of bilateral trade is very low and there is a dire need to bring it to 5 billion dollar from 1 Billion dollar in next couple of years.

The delegation held business to business (B2B) meetings with RCCI members of relevant sectors to seek joint ventures and partnerships.

It represented some renowned companies dealing in kitchenware, construction, manufacturers of cosmetics, food products, manufacturers of cement, construction & industrial material and energy products.

In his welcome address, RCCI President Mian Humayun Parvez said that there are tremendous opportunities in different sector especially in tourism and gem and jewelry. We need to explore these areas to improve country’s exports. Bilateral cooperation and exchange of trade delegations will help us to boost our trade volume.

He said Pakistan had a great attraction for Thai entrepreneurs, especially in ready-made food and snacks, cosmetics, kitchen wares, cement, construction and in many other fields as it was a huge consumer market. He assured that Rawalpindi Chamber would fully cooperate with Thai entrepreneurs to improve business partnerships and investing in Pakistan. =DNA