ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain, while terming Pakistan and Switzerland as important trade partners, said on Friday that the growing investment by Swiss multinational companies was reinforcing bilateral ties and expressed their confidence in Pakistan.
Talking to the outgoing ambassador of Switzerland Marc Pierre George at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president said Pakistan greatly values its relations with Switzerland, which is based on mutual trust, amity and cooperation.
The president underlined that Switzerland stood among the top five foreign investors in Pakistan during 2015-16; however, he pointed out that current bilateral trade volume of around $400 million per annum did not commensurate with the true potential which needed to be increased.
He appreciated the work undertaken by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) focusing on drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and support for displaced persons in the areas worst affected by terrorism and natural calamities.
The president also commended the Swiss government’s “Excellence Scholarship Programme” and hoped that this cooperation would further grow and more students from Pakistan would be able to benefit from Swiss educational and polytechnical institutions.
He called for establishing linkages between the educational institutions of both countries to benefit from each other’s expertise.
The president also congratulated the outgoing ambassador on successful completion of his assignment and wished him a successful career ahead.