Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman has hailed the diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Pakistan. Speaking at a solemn ceremony to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the Lahore Fort here
, he said Pakistan appreciates Netherlands cooperation in political, economic, climate change, education, culture, and multilateral fora. Ambassador of Netherlands to Pakistan, Henny de Vries, Honorary Consul of Netherlands Asma Hamid, former Federal Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Tahir Khalil Sindhu, former governor Shahid Hamid and other distinguished guests were present in the ceremony. Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman said that Pakistan attaches great importance to bilateral relations with the Netherlands, adding that both countries stood by each other in testing times. “Pakistan had helped the people of the Netherlands in the floods of 1953,” adding that Pakistan values the Dutch humanitarian and technical assistance after different natural disasters, including the last floods of 2022. He said, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is increasing. The Governor Punjab said the Netherlands is the second largest export destination of Pakistani products in the European Union. He further said the Netherlands is among the top ten countries to invest in Pakistan, while more than 60 Dutch companies are currently operating in Pakistan. He said Pakistan has taken various initiatives with a view to boost foreign investment, including the establishment of the Special investment Facilitation Council. He added that Dutch investors can benefit from the facilities given to investors in the Special Investment Facilitation Council. The Governor Punjab further said that Pakistan wants to expand its cooperation with the Netherlands in the fields of education, water management, agriculture, dairy, and tourism. He said that more than 35,000 vibrant Pakistani community is living in the Netherlands. In recent years, many young professionals have availed the highly skilled migrant visas and contributed to the Dutch Knowledge Economy. Ambassador of the Netherlands Henny de Vries and others also addressed the ceremony.
