‘Kazakhstan a gateway for Pakistani products to Central Asia’

SIALKOT: Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafin on Tuesday said that Kazakhstan was not only a sincere friend of Pakistan, but was also a gateway for its products to the fast emerging market of the vast region of Central Asia.

He said this while addressing the industrialists and exporters at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here. Yerzhan Kistafin said that his country had great history of warm business ties with Sialkot as a number of individuals and companies from here had been busy doing business activities with Kazakhstan. He, however, added that the overall annual bilateral trade between both the friendly countries stood at $1.86 million, which was far below their actual potential and there was ample room to enhance it manifolds.

He said that further strengthening of trade ties with Pakistan and enhancing the bilateral trade was his top priority and it was his mission to locate credible companies of local manufacturers and help establish their ties with the buyers in Kazakhstan. He said that he believed Sialkot could play a key role in promoting the bilateral trade due to its very vibrant culture of small and medium enterprises.

He said that Kazakhstan and many other countries of Central Asia including, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, had been intending to establish direct trade links with Pakistan, but due to the certain conditions in Afghanistan for the last couple of decades it could not be realised.

He said that soon both the countries would be directly linked by roads and rails via Afghanistan and also added that his country was going to establish Pakistan Trading Houses not only in Kazakhstan, but in the whole region of Central Asia. He hoped that such steps would certainly help boost the bilateral trade along with other activities such as aggressive exchange of trade delegations and holding of single country trade exhibitions.

He invited the local businessmen to visit his country and enjoy business friendly facilities like little taxes and cheaper energy prices in its 13 economic zones. He assured the local business community of his full support and cooperation to hold ‘Made in Sialkot’ exhibition in Kazakhstan.

Earlier, SCCI president Ikramul Haq said that direct business interaction between both the countries was vital for enhancement of the bilateral trade. He opined that Kazakhstan was not only the largest economy in the region of Central Asia, but it could also be a gateway to the vast market for the items manufactured in Sialkot. He also viewed that the FTA (free trade agreement) between both the countries was essential to boost bilateral trade along with exchange of business delegations, holding of trade fares and joint ventures. He praised the governments of both countries for setting up the target of annual bilateral trade worth $1 billion and also opined that direct interaction of businessmen from both countries was necessary to achieve that target. He said that the instead of purchasing indirectly the customers from Kazakhstan must directly purchase the surgical and dental instruments, sports goods, gloves and other products from the local manufacturers to achieve the new goal of bilateral trade. First Secretary Olzhas Toby Shakpv, SCCI senior vice president Wasim Shehbaz and general secretary Tariq Mehmood Malik, Umair Nisar, Malik Ashraf and others were also present on the occasion.