By Naveed Miraj, Shahid Qureshi
ISLAMABAD: The High Commissioner of Mauritius in Pakistan Rashidally Soobadar has urged the business community of Pakistan to explore Mauritius as a strategic center for accessing the huge African market. Ambassador Rashidally Soobadar said that they want to extend bilateral relations with Pakistan in all sectors especially in trade and tourism.
Business Opportunity in Mauritius
He expressed these remarks during a visit to WE News Islamabad on Thursday. The Ambassador said that there is a lot of potential in trade sector between the two nations but the volume of trade should be increased. He said, “It is very unfortunate that the volume of trade between Pakistan and Mauritius is very low due to suspension of a trade agreement between the two sides in 2017.” He said that they understand Pakistan and also realize Islamabad concern but expressed hope that the two sides will take steps to boost bilateral trade. He lauded the quality of Pakistani rice, adding that they want to extend cooperation to import more rice from Pakistan to his country.
He invited Pakistani businessmen to explore avenues of investment in his country and take benefit from African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement. He added that Mauritius is a small nation but can connect Pakistan to rest of the African country.
The Ambassador also highlighted Mauritius’ favorable business atmosphere, ranking 13th in the ease of doing business index, as a useful gateway to around 54 nations in Africa. He stressed that Pakistani businesses could also set up production units in Mauritius, benefiting from favorable labor laws and duty-free, quota-free access to the African market as per the Continental Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Pakistan-Mauritius Ties
Regarding bilateral ties, the envoy also highlighted Mauritius’ special relations with Pakistan, dating back to the establishment of its mission in 1970. He added that Pakistan and Mauritius are enjoying friendly relations, which is based on cultural and historical roots.
The Ambassador also highlighted Mauritius’ success in tourism sector and suggested cooperation between the two sides to promote technology-driven tourism initiatives. He suggested that Pakistan and Mauritius can cooperate in tourism sector as well. He said that his side is ready to cooperate with Pakistan to boost tourism sector. He said that they can share their expertise and strategy with Pakistanis to enhance tourism sector.
Ambassador Lauds Pakistani Music and TV Drama
He said that the two nations can also cooperate in culture as people of his nation love with Pakistani drama and music. He appreciated Urdu Drama of PTV and hoped that the two nations can also extend cooperation in this sector. He also offered to Pakistani filmmakers to utilize the beautiful spots of the African nation for their film projects.
During his visit to WE News Office, the Ambassador appreciated the role of WE News, saying that it is the age of digital media and more and more focus should be given to this medium to take benefit from the new trends in the media industry. On the occasion, he met with staff members and expressed happiness over contributions of WE News in the digital media. He lauded the professionalism of the staff members.
The Ambassador took special interest in the sports, and culture sections of the WE News and described culture as a very strong bond in bringing people of different regions together.
WE News staff and the Ambassador also discussed the role of digital media in the society. The visiting dignitary believes that it is digital world and focus should be given to new trends in the industry.
