Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla Tuesday proposed Pakistan and Australia need to work together for making an arrangement for enhanced trade through signing of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).
In a called on meeting with the Dr. Geoffrey Bruce Shaw, High Commissioner of Australia at Parliament House, Saleem Mandvi-walla said PTA seems a viable option to boost trade and economic linkage between the two sides, a press release said. Both the dignitaries also discussed matters of bilateral significance besides exchanging views on further boosting cooperation. He said Pakistan attached highest priority to its relations with Australia and was looking forward for increasing the parliamentary exchanges.
He said cooperation extended by Australia in education and development sector was laudable and Pakistan would like to expand this interaction to other areas of mutual ties, especially promoting parliamentary linkages and enhancing people to people contacts.
He said exchange of parliamentary delegations would also steer the economic cooperation and those of the business delegations would help explore the new avenues for increasing bilateral trade.
The deputy chairman Senate said Pakistan and Australia enjoy close and cooperative relations. He underscored the need to explore new avenues for cooperation. He said trade and economic relations were important components of our ties. “Institutional mechanism exists in the form of Joint Trade Committee which should meet regularly to find ways and means to enhance trade links,” Mandviwalla observed. He said enhanced parliamentary linkages would be helpful in opening up new vistas of cooperation. Australian high commissioner agreed with the views of deputy chairman Senate and said huge potential exists to enhance trade and economic linkages.
