FOLDER - Pakistan and the rest of the World (09/2002)

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

Japan Offered Coop. In IT, SME Sectors

**TOKYO, March 14 (PNS): Japan Wednesday offered Pakistan help and cooperation for development of human resource, Information Technology and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sectors. **

Japanese Minister for Economics, Trade and Industries Mr. Takeo Hiranoma made this offer here during a call on the President General Pervez Musharraf. “We have received number of concrete proposals for cooperation in these sectors and giving fullest consideration,” he informed the President.

The Minister said Japan greatly appreciated the efforts of Pakistan and the President to achieve peace and stability in the region and to revive its economy for the benefit of the people of Pakistan.

Talking about role of SMEs in Japan’s economy, the Minister said that out of five million enterprises in Japan 99.7 per cent are SMEs. This is the area that can help bring growth in Pakistan.

President General Pervez Musharraf informed the Minister that Pakistan had been facing serious challenges to its economy specially following the events of September 11, which had a set back of 2.5 Billion US Dollars to Pakistan’s economy. 'But we are determined to transform these challenges into opportunities for Pakistan and its people," the President said.

In this regard the President referred to the help and assistance forthcoming from Japan. He thanked Japan for its support at different international fora specially Paris Club.

The President also conveyed his thanks to Japanese Government for providing fiscal support of 300 Million US Dollars extended recently.

The President said that SMEs are one of the four areas of focus, which his government had identified soon after the inception. The Japanese Minister said Japan appreciates Pakistan’s geo-political position as it is in the center of Asia and also Pakistan has skilled and cheap workforce and this can be effectively utilized by Japanese Entrepreneurs

2

Pak, Philippines To Coop. In Environment Sector

ISLAMABAD, September 20 (PNS): Pakistan and Philippines will be signing a bilateral agreement of environment cooperation that would enable both the countries to benefit from their expenses in various fields of environment efficiency.

This was stated in a meeting between Barrister Shahida Jamil, Federal Minister for environment and Jorge V. Arizaba, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines here on Thursday.

The minister apprised the Ambassador about the **National Environment Agenda of Pakistan and informed him that water conservation, forestation, development of mountain watersheds and solid waste management are priority areas on which government is concentrating. **

The Minister added that **sustainable tree plantation has been introduced this year by the Environment Ministry to ensure the survival of trees, which are planted, and two countries should explore various areas of interest in the environment sector where they could cooperate and work. **

The Ambassador of Philippines reciprocated her sentiments and said that he would be looking forward for further discussion and offered to provide training to Pakistan environment engineers in industrial efficiency and management sector

3

Business Group Formed Between Pak And Russia

MOSCOW, May 17 (PNS):** Pakistan and Russia have decided to form a collective business group for promoting and strengthening economic and trade relations. **

Pakistani Ambassador in Russia Syed Iftikhar Murshad announced the formation of this group in a seminar held in Moscow.

Highlighting the importance of this group he said that this business group would further strengthen trade between two countries. He said that economic relations between the two counties have been increasing for many years and formation of this group would further help to build those relations on strong grounds

4

SOURCE: N/A

Japanese Investors Vow To Continue Investment

KARACHI: Japanese businessmen who are also members of Pakistan Japan Business Forum (PJBF), have vowed to stay, work and invest in Karachi despite recent violence against foreigners in Islamabad and Karachi.

President, PJBF, Aziz Memon has said that PJBF has assured the Sindh Government that Japanese nationals in Karachi want to improve their trade relations with Pakistan. "They would stay here and honour their commitments in all respects", Memon said.

'Japanese businessmen believe that the image of Pakistan has been negatively projected and it is important that 'concerned people' endeavour to project the positive side of the country. They further appreciate that the businessmen of Karachi never give up hope and despite all hard circumstances continue to expand their business activities. This has added to the confidence of Japanese investors here', Memon added.

PJBF has however, cautioned the government that the recent phenomena of global terrorism could hurt Pakistan more profoundly since the country is a 'front-line state and a front-line affectee' in the global 'war against terror'. He advised the government to concentrate on security and safety issues along with economic issues.

5

Pak-Russia To Expand Coop. In Oil And Gas Sectors

ISLAMABAD, May 26 (PNS): Russia and Pakistan has decided to further strengthen and expand cooperation in oil and gas sector.

A delegation of the Russian Gazprom company has completed a visit to Pakistan, where the sides discussed the future co-operation in the area of developing new deposits and transporting oil and gas.

**Pakistani side was particularly interested in the involvement of Russian experts and investors in the implementation of joint and multilateral projects, as well as in the training of Pakistani specialists in Russia.

The USSR contributed much to the development of Pakistani oil and gas industries. More than 8,000 Pakistanis graduated from various Soviet higher education institutions. **

Over the past few years, the pace of bilateral trade and economic relations has been very slow because of the Pakistani support to Afghan Mujahideen and subsequent aid to the Taliban movement.

Local observers believe that the Gazprom visit is yet another sign of Russia’s new policies targeted at the resumption of co-operation with Pakistan

6

Pak-Japan Trade $575 Million Goods

ISLAMABAD, June 07 (PNS): **Pakistan and Japan have traded 575 million dollars various products in this financial year. **

In July to March this fiscal Pakistan has sold 155 million dollars goods to Japan and imported 420 million dollars various products.

Pakistan’s main exports to Japan were rice, cotton yarn, fabrics, garments, bedwear, carpets, sports, surgical goods, fish, fruits, chemicals, leather, hosiery and measuring equipment.

**Country’s major imports from Japan were machinery, spare parts, motor vehicles, chemicals, measuring equipment, tyres, tubes, crude rubber, etc. **

7

Pak To Seek $2b Stuck Up Export Receipts From Russia

ISLAMABAD, June 09 (PNS): **Pakistan will hold talks with Russia probably this month to seek repatriation of stuck up $2 billion export receipts of local exporters. **

Pakistanis exporters revenue amounting to 2 billion dollars has stuck up in Russia since its dismemberment.

Both the countries will hold talks to clear the outstanding exports receipts of Pakistani exporters.

Officials told PNS that the Commerce Ministry has summoned a meeting in Islamabad on June 13 to review the latest position of stuck up money of local exporters in Russia.

A strategy will also be evolved in the meeting to retrieve maximum stuck up exports

8

Pakistan, Thailand To Trade In Own Units

ISLAMABAD, July 1: Pakistan and Thailand have agreed to start counter trade in their respective currencies for boosting bilateral trade, and proposed to form a rice exporting consortium of four Asian States including India and the Philippines for organized export of rice around the world.

This was agreed to here on Monday at a meeting between Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood and his Thai counterpart Adisai Bodharamik.

The two ministers told the waiting journalists that both countries have agreed to double the bilateral trade without involving dollar.

**The Thai minister explained that if Pakistan purchased goods from Thailand in local currency (Bhat) his country would also buy goods of equivalent amount in Pakistan currency. He was of the view that then there would no need to increase the trade in dollar terms but the increase in volume would become more important. **

Commerce minister Abdul Razak Dawood supported the Thai concept and said that it was practicable. He said he would be paying a visit to Thailand later to formalize this new concept into reality.

**The bilateral trade stood at $220 million but the two ministers believed that it could be doubled through the new concept of using local currency. **

Sources said that secretary commerce Qamar Beg Mirza had suspected that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) might have objections to the idea of counter trade but the visiting minister explained that his country was already doing the same with Malaysia, Singapore and a couple of other countries.

The proposal of putting in place a four-nation Asian consortium of rice exporting countries involving Pakistan, Thailand, India and the Philippines was also floated by the visiting commerce minister and his Pakistani counterpart supported the idea.

The Thai delegation was of the view that Pakistan’s basmati rice was of supreme quality in the world but the mixture of broken rice by the exporters had marred its image, which the Pakistan government should counter.

Thailand has also offered Pakistani businessmen to invest in food processing units as that country had enough fruit surplus, so that Pakistani companies could export the processed fruit to the Muslim countries.

The Thai commerce minister told the meeting that Muslim countries were currently hesitant of importing juices and processed fruits from Thailand and Pakistani investment could be of great benefit to that country.

The Thai minister said that his country was ready for joint ventures in auto parts, garments, chemicals and food processing in Pakistan in addition to setting up of refineries and construction of dams without tenders and contracts.

The two countries have extended most favoured nation status to each other a few years ago but issues relating to duties and taxes could not be resolved as yet.

Dawood told reporters that a team of Commerce Ministry, Central Board of Revenue, State Bank of Pakistan and public sector stakeholders would be visiting Bangkok soon to resolve the issue.

9

Sri Lanka To Import Pakistani Products

KARACHI, July 2: **The Sri Lankan delegation on Tuesday visited the display centre of Export Promotion Bureau and expressed keen interest in the Pakistani products. **

Later the delegation members, led by Lankan General Trading Company chairman Yasendra de Silva along with three others representing Sri Lankan ministry of commerce & consumer affairs, held a meeting with EPB chairman Tariq Ikram and vice-chairman Ijaz Ahmed Qureshi.

The delegation members have shown keen interest in importing pharmaceuticals, furnitures, sanitary wares, water purification systems, molasses, vegetable seeds specially onion seeds, and tin plates.

The visit of the delegation is the follow-up of the visit of EPB chairman Tariq Ikram to Sri Lanka last year.

The delegation members will also hold meetings with business community in Karachi, and will visit Lahore, Sialkot and Gujranwala to increase bilateral trade, specially possibilities to import various items from Pakistan.

APP adds: The delegation leader said that his country wanted to import pharmaceutical, furniture, molasses and other products from Pakistan as their quality was good. He said the purpose of his visit was to promote bilateral trade specially purchase of merchandise from Pakistan.

The EPB chairman informed the delegation that Pakistan can provide a good quality product range to Sri Lanka at competitive prices.

Lankan General Trading Company is the public sector company, which procures almost everything on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka through tenders as well as through direct purchases. This visit will provide a golden opportunity to Pakistani exporters to enhance their exports.

10

Sri Lanka To Buy Medicines From Pakistan

KARACHI:** Leader of Sri Lankan trade delegation has expressed keen interest in the import of essential medicines, industrial chemicals, electrical fans and electric meters from Pakistan.**

Talking to APP here Saturday, chairman STC General Trading Co Ltd, a state owned organisation of Sri Lanka Yasendra de Silva said that 16 critical drugs have been identified by the delegation during the meeting with Pakistani pharmaceutical manufacturers in Karachi and Lahore.

He said this deal will be materialized in next three months and added that a large number of Pakistani medicines are already under the process of registration in Sri Lanka.

“STC General Trading Co has about 400 outlets in Sri Lanka and we sell a large number of consumer items including air conditioners, fans, etc”, he stated

11

Russians Optimistic Over Trade With Pakistan

KARACHI: Russia is optimistic about a deeper cooperation with local business communities to promote trade between Russia and Pakistan, since all obstacles from the past are over and roads are open for trading, said Valdimir P Mikhaylov, Russian consul general according to a press release issued by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Monday. The Consul General was accompanied by a delegation from the Russian federation when he met Tariq Ikram, chairman EPB.

The counsul general suggested the EPB redraft its strategy to participate in exhibitions held in Moscow and that he would extend all possible help including visa facilitations.

Mikhaylov said Pakistan¡s IT sector has the advantage of cheap labour, fairly good technical know-how and command over the English language and he hoped Russian and local companies could work together.

12

Pakistan-Russia Ties Improve

ISLAMABAD, Sept 16:** For the first time in many years, there are clear signs of a marked improvement in Pakistan-Russia relations with the two countries forging a partnership that was perhaps never expected since the creation of Pakistan. **

**The most recent manifestation of increased confidence between the two countries is the establishment of a major working group - the Consultative Group on Strategic Stability - formalized last month, and an agreement between the two countries to forge an alliance to tackle an issue considered a threat to the regional stability by both the countries. **

The first major advance in Pakistan-Russia ties was achieved last year before the Sept 11 attacks on the United States. Islamabad successfully concluded an agreement with Moscow for the sale of 16 Russian Mi-17 military cargo helicopters in July 2001.

Since early this year, Pakistan and Russia have been engaged in pro-active diplomacy to improve bilateral ties. There has been intense high-level interaction between the two countries with delegations going back and forth. Aziz Ahmed Khan, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Moscow in January for consultations on Afghanistan and other matters. The Russians conveyed to him their appreciation of the “bold steps” taken by President Gen Pervez Musharraf to counter extremism.

A Russian business delegation also visited Pakistan earlier this year as a consequence of which a Pakistan-Russia Business Forum was created. Last month, a Pakistan-Russia Business Council, comprising three richest Russians and three Pakistanis based in Moscow, was set up. The council, based in Moscow, will be formally registered this month.

Sources privy to the council formation say 30 Russian companies are ready to invest in Pakistan and 300 more have shown keen interest. The joint business council targets a turnover of a billion dollars worth of trade and investment in the coming year. It promises a significant growth in the current low volume of trade between the two countries that stood at 60 million dollars last year.

**The warming of Russia-Pakistan relations has not happened overnight. But the two countries appear to have found more reasons to work together in the last one year than in the previous 10 years. This convergence of interest has materialized in afar more frequent exchange of official visitors. **

13

FOLDER - PAKISTAN and European Union

EU Textile Quota To Grow Up To 60pc By 04: Cabinet Okays MoU

ISLAMABAD, May 15:** The federal cabinet here on Wednesday approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and the European community that enhanced by 15 per cent Islamabad’s textile and clothing products quota from January 2001 to be further increased to 60 per cent by 2004. **

Briefing reporters after the meeting, which was presided over by President Pervez Musharraf, Information Minister Nisar Memon said the cabinet was told that the 15-nation European Union had done a great favour by increasing Pakistan’s textile quota under textile quota enhancement agreement.

Mr. Memon said that Pakistan-European community textile trade is regulated through a bilateral agreement under which export of certain textile categories to the European Union is under quota restraint.

Beginning June 2001, he pointed out, a series of negotiating rounds were held with the EU in Islamabad and Brussels. These negotiations culminated in the initialling of an MoU between Pakistan and the EU in Brussels on October 15, 2001, outlining a comprehensive package of trade measures aimed at improving access to each other’s markets. “This was a main concession secured from European Union,” he added. This quota increase has become effective from the year 2001. In addition, Pakistan has also succeeded in obtaining from the EU a zero tariff for all products, except where Pakistan has ‘graduated out’ by virtue of its high market share. “Thus, this tariff concession, effective January 1, 2002, will cover about 75 per cent of our exports to Europe.”

The meeting further approved the signing of a trade agreement between Pakistan and Kuwait for promoting economic and commercial relations between the two countries.

14

German Ambassador Assures Cooperation To Pak

ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (PNS):** German Ambassador Dr Christopher Brummer has assured the German contribution to Pakistan specially in the fields of Bio Technology and other fields of life. **

He was speaking to the 3rd Alexander von Humboldt Seminar hosted by Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) here on Thursday.

He lauded the role of German Alumni Forum Pakistan fellows in research and education sector of both the countries.

Dr Hameed Ahmed Khan Executive Director COMSATS said in his welcome address highlighted the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation contribution to the Pakistani scientists in equipping them from the latest trends in technology and providing them assistance in shape of equipment to let them establish their own laboratories.

Other Humboldt fellows, Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik and Dr Asghri Bano also addressed the seminar and highlighted the importance of Biodiversity and Biosaline Agriculture and German contribution in their research.

15

Pakistan, EU Sign 50-Million-Euro Agreement

ISLAMABAD, May 22 (Xinhuanet) – **The European Union will provide Pakistan a grant of 50 million euro for human resources development and other social sector programs including health and education in accordance with an agreement signed here Wednesday. **

An agreement to this effect was signed in Islamabad on Wednesday by the Pakistan Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and the visiting EU Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten.

Talking to newsmen after the agreement signing ceremony, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz said the amount will be used for budgetary support for social sector programs.

The agreement reinforces the government’s commitment to improvethe social sector programs and population welfare program.

The finance minister praised the European Union commissioner for helping Pakistan in market access of Pakistani products. He said in the first three months of the current calendar year (January - March), Pakistan’s textile exports to EU have gone up byeight percent.

Chris Patten said that during his meeting with Shaukat Aziz, they discussed matters relating to greater EU assistance to private sector and to furthering market access of Pakistani products. He said the agreement signed Wednesday will help Pakistan to strengthen its social welfare programs.

Asked to comment on the increasing tension on the Indo-Pakistan borders, the European Union Commissioner said he would be holding discussions on regional issues in the next couple of days."

16

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France To Resume Work With Pak on Agosta Submarine: Wiplen

ISLAMABAD, August 04 (PNS): France on Saturday announced that it would soon resume work on the construction of Agosta submarine, which was halted after the killing of 11 French nationals in a suicide bomb attack in Karachi on May 8. The assurance was held out by French Foreign Minister, Domenic De Wiplen during formal talks with Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Inamul Haq here.

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French Foreign Minister stated that the construction of the Agosta submarine was a great example of defence ties between the two countries, diplomatic sources said.

Wiplen informed that work on Agosta would soon be resumed for the timely completion of this project, vowing to continue co-operation with Pakistan in defence, cultural and economic fields

Meanwhile,French Foreign Minister, Villapin said that resumption of talks between Pakistan and India must resume for resolution of all disputes including the core issue of Kashmir, however, he noted that dialogues could not be imposed from outside.

Addressing a press conference here after his meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Interior Minister he said that talks between India and Pakistan were imperative to ensure lasting peace in the region.

Villapin said that his visit to Pakistan was aimed at strengthening the ties between France and Pakistan in all the fields.

About the war against terrorism, he said that both Pakistan and France would continue the war against international terrorism, saying both of the countries were victims of terrorism.

Citing the terror incident on May 8 in Karachi he said despite the fact that several French and Pakistani citizens were killed in the terror attack, the bilateral relationships between both the countries were not affected. ‘We have however got close to each other and will take joint action against the perpetrators of this bloody incident,’ he hoped. France’s cooperation with Pakistan will be ideal in this direction, he assured. Pakistan’s role in the war against the terrorism was very significant, he noted.

Regarding cross border infiltration he said that Pakistan had made its position clear at an international level. ‘We want stability in the region and all should work jointly for establishment of peace there,’ he insisted.

17

UK Invests $1.252 Billion In Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, May 29 (PNS): United Kingdom has made 1.252 billion dollars foreign direct investment in Pakistan since the financial year 1989-90.

UK made 23 million dollars investment in Pakistan in 1989-90; 34 million dollars in 1990-91; 21 million in 1991-92; 26 million in 1992-93; 32 million in 1993-94; 38 million in 1994-95; 332 million in 1995-96; 240 million in 1996-97; 135 million in 1997-98; 89 million in 1998-99; 169 million in 1999-2000; 90 million in 2000-01 and 23 million dollars investment in 2001-02 till March.

United Kingdom is the second major investors in PakisTAN.

18

Swiss-German Firm Offers To Set Up Rail Link Between Karachi And Central Asia

TORONTO, 28 July — An internationally known Swiss-German firm —-Interglobe— has offered to set up rail link between Karachi and Central Asian states via Afghanistan.

Niamatullah Khan, chief of Pakistan’s largest municipality of Karachi, said this in an interview here on Friday.

Khan, who is currently on a 20-day tour of seven countries, including Canada, said the Swiss-German firm has finalized proposals to link Karachi with Central Asia to help boost trade in the region.

He said the same firm is also working on a proposed $1.2 billion plan to set up a rail network within Karachi on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

The Karachi city Nazim (mayor) said the firm would build the network, operate for some time and hand it over to the local government.

Khan has already visited China, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US before coming to Toronto last week.

He described his tour as very useful and said that he signed a number of memorandums of understanding with several private sector organizations related to urban transport and construction of houses for people of low-income group in Karachi.

Khan said the Karachi administration was seeking World Bank’s financial assistance to implement a solid waste management project to keep this industrial port city pollution free and clean.

He said his administration was paying full attention to the construction and repair of roads in the sprawling cosmopolitan city of Karachi, which had been the scene of bloody ethnic and sectarian clashes.

“That painful era is over,” he said adding there is hardly any incident of ethnic or sectarian violence now. However, he said there have been isolated incidents of terrorism and these too are being contained. “We are making efforts to revive the beauty of Karachi which was often described as the city of lights.”

Answering a question he said that plans are under way to develop tourist resorts near the beach in Karachi.

19

Turkey Raises Textile Quota By 3,000 Tons

**Turkey has enhanced Pakistan’s textile quota by additional 3,000 tons for the years 2002 and 2003 and has promised to provide tariff concessions on Pakistani exports of 20 other products by September this year. **

The two sides have, however, failed to sign agreements on exchange of trucks for transportation of goods as Turkey wanted maximum axle load not exceeding 6 tons on which Pakistan’s commerce minister was not sure of the implications. The confusion whether to use international law on trucking business or that of the home countries also persists.

Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood told a news conference here on Tuesday that increase in textile quota would have a financial benefit of $11 million per year to Pakistan.

An agreement to enhance Pakistan’s textile quota was signed during the joint ministerial conference (JMC) last week in Turkey. Pakistani side was led by the commerce minister.

The agreement also allowed Pakistan to export an additional 2,000 tons of denim, technically known as 2(A) category, a textile products with big demand in that country.

“We wanted greater market access for two years (2002 and 2003) but they agreed to increase the quota by another 3,000 tons with the provision that we could put in any category in that limit,” said the minister.

He said that Pakistan also wanted the same facility for the year 2004. Verbally they have agreed but both sides would meet again in September on the subject, said the minister expressing the hope that this would also applicable for 2004.

He, however, said that the government was now considering how to distribute this quota among the exporters. Three options were currently under consideration including allocation on the basis of last year export performance, auction for open competition or first-come first-served basis.

The minister said Pakistan had sought concessions in tariff to the extent of zero duty on exports of its 20 items like leather, cotton yarn, sports, carpets, etc. They have promised to give it a sympathetic consideration and finalize the agreement by September this year when Turkish commerce minister visits Pakistan.

The minister said that he had been seeking Turkish investment, specifically for two years, in fruit and vegetable processing and livestock because it could result in increased production of hides and skins, and dairy and leather exports.

The minister said that **Turkey wanted Pakistani businessmen to utilize facilities of its export processing zones for processingor setting up warehouses for exports to the Europe. **

He said he would be discussing the opportunity with Pakistani businessmen within this week because Turkey could be an outlet for Pakistani products to the European market.

**The $147 million Pak-Turkey trade is in Pakistan’s favour. In 2000-01, Pakistan exported $100 million worth of products to Turkey against imports of $47 million. During first 10 months of 2001-02, Pakistani exports to Turkey were $76 million against imports of $23 million. **

The two sides signed three agreements for bilateral cooperation in the field of standard quality measures, small and medium enterprises and removal of hurdles in the customs and tariffs through exchange of delegations.

To a question the minister said the dispute with Turkish firm Bayinder was neither on the agenda nor mentioned in any of the meetings. He said that four big Turkish firms were operating in Pakistan successfully and only one of them had a purely commercial contractual dispute and had nothing to do with bilateral relations.

20

Turkish Additional Quota To Boost Ties

ISLAMABAD, July 1: **Additional market access for textile exporters by Turkey worth $11 million per annum will post fresh resilience to country’s exports. **

An extra 3000 tons of textile quota to Turkey during 2002-03, will further deepen trade ties between the two countries, sources at textile industry said on Monday.

Turkey was asked for greater market access and they agreed to allow extra 3000 tons of exports in any category but not more than 2000 tons in one category, added the sources.

The decision was announced during the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) meeting, held in Ankara from June 20 to June 21, 2002.

Pakistan having the capacity of enhanced production in denim material will take this opportunity to export up to 2000 tons of extra denim to Turkey and it will give benefit to Pakistan of around $11 million in terms of exports.

Grant of greater market access to Pak textile exports will certainly help further strengthen the economic relations between the two countries, opening new avenues of trade and business cooperation, observed the sources.

The exporters of denim, who accompanied the Commerce Minister during this visit, have assured that they would realize the enhanced exports of denim before the end of 2002. While in other categories, Pak exporters were not meeting the exports quota for Turkey and currently these ranges between 5 per cent to 30 per cent in various categories.

Total trade volume between Pakistan and Turkey was to the tune of $147 million during 2000-01 with $100 million exports and $47 million imports as against $61 million in 1999-2000 and $38 million in 1998-99.

During July-April period of 2001-02, Pakistan’s exports to Turkey were to the tune of $76 million with imports at $23 million.

Turkey has also verbally agreed to enhance this quota facility up to 2004, on the request of Pakistan, but it will be formally discussed during the Turkish Commerce Minister’s visit here in September next.

**Pakistan and Turkey signed four agreements at the 12th Pak-Turkey JMC held in Ankara last week. These agreements pertain to Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) and Small and Medium Industry Development Organization of Turkey (KOSGEB), Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs matters, Technical and Scientific Cooperation on Technical Cooperation between Pakistan Standards Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and Turkish Standards Institutions. **

Under these agreements, there will be exchange of people between the two countries to learn each others experiences and expertise in the related areas.