Switzerland wants to further cement its relationship with Pakistan and trade between them has increased by 15 percent over the last year, but thee is substantial room for more improvement, said Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, Christoph Bubb, at a reception recently hosted in his honour by Swiss Consul General in Karachi, Didier Boschung.
The ambassador further pointed out that Switzerland is one of the major direct investors in Pakistan.
”Three new Swiss companies have set foot in Pakistan recently. They are Pulher, Sika and Hilti, which have worldwide operations. This is a positive development,” he remarked.
He was of the view that Pakistan, with a 180 million plus consumers, has huge potential. The envoy pointed out that from the Swiss perspective, all multinational companies that are here for the last many years will remain here and that they are increasing their investment because these companies know that this is a good place to invest. He said that there are 21 Swiss companies, the major ones including Novartis, Nestle, Roche, ABB and SGS, are operating in Pakistan and they are stable and happy with the course of their business activities.
About the volume of bilateral trade between Switzerland and Pakistan, the ambassador said that this is to the tune of about $350 million and the balance is in favour of Switzerland. He believed that there is potential to further enhance trade ties between the two countries.
