Pakistan has great economic potential and Denmark wants to help it in energy and many other sectors to take bilateral trade and economic relations to further higher levels, said HE Jesper Moller Sorensen, newly-appointed Ambassador of Denmark on Saturday.
While paying his first visit to Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, HE Jesper Moller Sorensen said he had come to have an interaction with business community to further deepen and expand existing trade and economic relations between the two countries.
He said Denmark was very strong in wind energy and understands the crucial role of energy for Pakistan’s industry and economy. Denmark anticipates lot of investment in coming years in Pakistan’s energy sector and many of its energy companies wanted to develop partnerships with Pakistani counterparts to make investment for reducing its energy problems. He said Danish companies had much to offer to Pakistan, especially in areas of renewable energy, life sciences, energy efficiency, food processing, clean technology, agro-industry machinery, healthcare, education, youth development, women empowerment and many other areas.
He was of the view that Denmark had advanced technology while Pakistan had good quality and affordable manpower with huge consumers market. Thus both countries should work together to develop close collaboration and complement each other in potential areas of mutual cooperation. Pakistan should give at least 10 strong reasons to invest in its economy so that he could convince more Danish investors to explore Pakistan for investment, he added.
The ambassador said he had got permission from his government to open a commercial section in Denmark embassy that would focus on promoting trade and commercial relations between the two countries. He said Denmark planned to extend and expand its support to Pakistan through a new five years program commencing in the autumn of 2013 with a total budget of around USD 50 million with focus on reconstruction, rehabilitation, education and the social-economic development of Pakistan.
In his welcome address, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Zafar Bakhtawari said that immediate need of the Pakistani industry was sustainable energy while Denmark was a leader in wind energy and it should help Pakistan in overcoming its energy shortage. He said the current volume of bilateral trade of just USD 250 million was quite insufficient as compared to existing potential and private sectors of both countries should be encouraged to develop close contacts to explore new avenues of improving trade relations.
He said both the countries had good potential to cooperate in pharmaceutical sector and demanded that Denmark pharmaceutical companies should set up manufacturing plants in Pakistan to produce pharma products. It will also help Denmark to get better share of exports in South Asian region.
He said Pakistan is the 5th largest milk producer and Denmark should share its advanced technology with Pakistan to produce value added dairy products. He assured that ICCI would continue to work with Danish embassy to explore ways and means to further expand and diversify the mutually beneficial relations with particular focus on enhancing trade and investment.