Zubair Qureshi
Ambassador of Morocco Mohamed Karmoune along with his spouse Mrs Karmoune and senior officials of the embassy received guests at a reception the embassy hosted to mark the 20th anniversary of of accession to the throne of His Majesty King Mohammed VI at Serena Tuesday.
Chairman Kashmir Committee veteran politician Syed Fakhar Imam was the Chief Guest on the occasion, while Moroccan Consul General in Karachi Ishtiaq Baig, ambassadors of the African countires, the Arab countries along with colleagues from other embassies attended the reception and felicitated the ambassador on the occasion.
Political figures, ministers including Fawad Chaudhry, Rehman Malik, senators and members of national assembly also attended the ceremony in good number. A number of businessm community representatives, civil society and members of academia were also there.
Morocco ‘Gem of North Africa’ and a tourist attraction worldwide carries a special place in foreign policy of Pakistan and the two countries are engaged in a number of bilateral agreements that contribute to strengthening their relations.
In his address as chief guest, Syed Fakhar Imam congratulated the ambassador, his wife and Moroccan nationals on the historic occasion and commented under the leadership of King Mohammed VI relations between the two countries have strengthened.
At present the volume of bilateral trade between both the countries is around $15 million and Pakistan would like to increase its exports in the coming years, he said.
Three months ago I was leading a parliamentary delegation to Morocco and was greatly impressed by love and hospitality extended to our delegation by the Moroccan government and the people, said Imam.
These relations he said needed to be further strengthened. He said both the countries needed to further explore ties in trade and education sector. “We need to set up two or three universities of international standards to equip our coming generations with modern art and technology.
In his welcome address, Ambassador Karmoune who was attired in Morocco’s national dress thanked the guests and said Morocco valued its ties with Pakistan and in the days to come people-to-people and government-to-government contacts would furhter grow.
He further added that Pakistan – Morocco Joint Business Council has been facilitating the business community of both the countries to expand trade with each other. Morocco attracts over 10 million tourists annually he said which developed the local hospitality industry that can help Pakistan develop this important sector.
Later, the guests were served with traditional Moroccan food. The hall was illuminating and decorated according to Moroccan theme. A businessman while talking to Pakistan Observer said Pakistani businessmen should explore opportunities in Morocco as we import crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas, electricity, transistors, and plastics. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1958, the relationships between the two countries, are continuously evolving and growing with passage of time.
