FAISALABAD:Ambassador of Kazakhstan Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin on Wednesday said that liaison between the business community of Pakistan and Kazakhstan was imperative to exploit the untapped potential of investment, bilateral trade and cultural cooperation.
He was addressing an informal reception hosted in his honour by Dr. Khurram Tariq, President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI).
He said that direct air links had been established between the two countries while trilateral rail link between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan could also be extended up to Kazakhstan.
About banking system, he said that an agreement had been inked with Al-Falah bank which would extend banking facilities to the importers and exporters by having direct access to the National Bank of Kazakhstan. He said that liberal visa policy had been adopted and businessmen having recommendation letter of FCCI would get visa within only three days.
He said that Kazakhstan had custom free import and export regime with its neighboring countries and hence investors and exporters settled in Kazakhstan could operate at the regional level. He said that both countries were enjoying common religious and cultural values and a proposal was under consideration to declare sister cities of both countries having similar cultural values and historic background. He appreciated the expertise of Pakistan in textile sector and urged its branding at the global level.
Responding to a question about poultry in Kazakhstan, he said that his country was self-sufficient in food products while it was also exporting surplus soyabean, wheat and other agriculture commodities. He said that foreign investors could also avail maximum facilities provided in its special economic zones. He said that surplus products could also be exported to the neighboring countries without any custom duty. He said that the railway link could also be established with EU and exportable surplus could be delivered to any destination in EU within a period of two weeks.
Dr. Khurram Tariq appreciated the efforts of Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin for promoting bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kazakhstan. He also proposed to send a cultural delegation to Kazakhstan.
Dr. Khurram Tariq was appreciative of the expertise of Kazakhstan in the field of fashion design and said that ‘we could collaborate in this field for the benefit of the two countries’.
Senior Vice President Dr. Sajjad Arshad, Vice President Haji Muhammad Aslam Bhalli, Engineer Ahmad Hassan, Shahid Ahmed Sheikh, Dr. Habib Aslam Gaba, Muzammil Sultan, Jawad Asghar and Muhammad Azhar Chaudhry were also present.