ISLAMABAD: The launching ceremony of “A Handbook on Economic Diplomacy” written by Ambassador Mr. Ahmed Ali Sirohey, Pakistan envoy in Niger, held at COMSTECH on Tuesday in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan.
In his introductory lecture, Ambassador Sirohey said that the aim of diplomacy is to nurture good relations with other nations and if you are economically connected with other nations, relations would automatically go better and stronger.
Mr. Sirohey said that the pioneer in economic diplomacy in the world is the Netherlands and Japan in Asia.
He mentioned that today geographically and demographically small countries are influencing policies of large countries due to their economic power and best economic diplomacy. He said that the diplomats of economically advanced countries spend 90% of their time meeting business communities to enhance the exports of their countries and allocate 10% of time for other activities.
Mr. Sirohey suggested achieving economic deterrence by adopting creative and innovative attainable action plans. He advised us to make achievable time bound goals to achieve excellence in economic development.
Speaking on the occasion, the Coordinator General COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary said that a handbook on “Economic Diplomacy ” by Ambassador Mr. Ahmed Ali Sirohey is an excellent addition to the literature on economic diplomacy.
“I found it as a crash course for myself to understand economic diplomacy and it must be read by all particularly those who are in the foreign service,” he said.
Prof. Choudhary said that Ambassador Sirohey is one of the most seasoned and effective diplomats of Pakistan and he is certainly a role model. He said that his vast experience of working in different countries and international organizations is deeply reflected in his book. He has addressed contours of economic diplomacy in the modern world, and contextualized them with Pakistan, Prof. Choudhary mentioned.
Prof. Choudhary also mentioned that the world’s economy is now linked with science, technology and innovation, and economic diplomacy is linked with science and technology capacity building and linking innovation with the production sector.
He said that Ambassador Sirohey presented examples of best practices and advocated a focused approach toward economic diplomacy in Pakistan. Prof. Choudhary said that this handbook is well suited for everyone interested in global diplomacy, and economic advancement.