Netherlands keen to bring investment in Pakistan

Pakistan has always been a land of opportunities because of its geography. It is a gateway for several countries to trade in the warm waters. Recently, Netherlands has also reportedly shown keen interest to invest in different sectors. During a meeting with members of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), the ambassador of the Netherlands said that they want to further deepen the roots of the relationship between the two countries. Jeannette Seppen expressed her eager thoughts on extending partnership in trade and economic activities. She emphasized on the port city of Karachi which is the hub of major trade and investment.

She further said that a lot has been done and a lot still needs to be done. According to her, Pakistan has a key value in the Dutch foreign policy. Both the countries share a strong bond socially and economically which is many years old.

Collaboration in various sectors

Netherlands and Pakistan intend to collaborate in many different sectors including power and energy, food and agriculture. Many Dutch companies are running successfully in Karachi and are famous in brands among the public. Most renowned are Philips, Suzuki, Unilever and Shell. Suzuki is planning on opening a new plant here to meet the demands of its ever-increasing customers.

Its franchise has enormously increased over the past years. This is going to be a huge investment and a major source of revenue generation. Most of the Dutch cargo is handled on the Sea Cargo Shipping ports giving ample chance for foreign trade.

Pakistan’s foreign policy

The ambassador clearly said that she is eyeing on investment in food, agriculture, automobile and energy projects. She considers these areas to be the most profitable for both the countries. She also acknowledged that Pakistan has good policies for foreign investors and if these favorable conditions continued, chances are that Pakistan can benefit tons from foreign investment from all over the world.

Jeannette mentioned the efforts of Pakistani ambassador and appreciated his role in these developments and bringing the two countries closer together. Trade ties between the two countries are based on common interests. Pakistan’s economy can benefit from the foreign investment. Zubair F Tufail, president of the FPCCI, gave briefing on the FPCCI activities.

CPEC—the game-changing project

There are talks about CPEC on every forum. Mr. Zubair also shed light on the energy projects, new industries and advancement in telecommunication that will create job opportunities in different areas. This project is a shared effort of China and Pakistan.

Predicting the fruitful outcomes of this project many countries including Iran and Russia are showing interest in investing in this mega project. Alamgir Firoz, chairman of the Standing Committee on Diplomatic Affairs, was also present on the occasion. He said that Pakistan needs positive interaction with business community of the Netherlands in order to enhance bilateral trade and investment. “We need to activate Pakistan-Netherlands Joint Business Council, which can help in better collaboration and partnership, especially in energy, food and agriculture sectors.”