JEDDAH, 3 December 2006 — Saudi Ambassador to Islamabad Ali Awad Al-Aseeri urged large-scale participation of Saudi businessmen and industrialists in the upcoming Saudi exhibition in Pakistan.
“Pakistan is a big market with a population of 160 million. Most Pakistanis prefer Saudi products, irrespective of their high prices,” he said in comments published yesterday.
He said the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad would provide Saudi participants all support and facilities. The exhibition will be held in March 2007. “We will also provide all assistance to Saudi traders and industrialists who wanted to carry out business in Pakistan. We’ll provide them with information on investment opportunities and partners in Pakistan.”
The ambassador emphasized the strong political relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. “But the trade relations between the two countries have not yet reached the expected level, because many Pakistanis do not know about Saudi products. So, the Saudi traders must take this factor into consideration and make use of the exhibition for an aggressive marketing of their products.”
He said the embassy was ready to provide Saudi businessmen and investors all assistance to remove obstacles facing them.
Al-Aseeri spoke about the upcoming visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to the Kingdom for talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan. The talks will focus on strengthening bilateral ties. Next week’s visit by the premier was within the framework of mutual consultation and coordination between the two leaderships, he added.
