Jordan, Pakistan can work to increase trade balance further — ambassador

AMMAN — Pakistani Ambassador to Jordan Lt. Gen. Shafaat Ullah Shah on Tuesday said his country and the Kingdom can do more to increase the trade balance in a manner that would reflect the excellent ties in other fields.

The bilateral trade balance last year amounted to $69 million, $46 million in Pakistan’s exports to Jordan and $23 million in Jordanian exports, the ambassador said during a visit to The Jordan Times.

He noted that Pakistan exports textiles, agricultural and food products, and leather to the Kingdom, while it imports mainly phosphates and phosphorus from Jordan.

Shah said he was in touch with trade representatives here, mainly commerce chambers, to explore means of increasing the volume, noting that Jordanian importers have a wide range of Pakistani products to choose from, including wheat and meat.

He invited Jordanian businesses to visit the Textile Asia International Exhibition, which will be held in Karachi in March 2016, to get a first-hand look at the wide range of products and benefit from available business opportunities.

Shah said Pakistani textile businesses are already active in Jordan, particularly in Qualifying Industrial Zones, benefiting from Jordan’s trade agreements with the United States and other countries around the world.

Pakistani textile factories in Jordan employ around 8,000 people out of a total Pakistani workforce of around 16,000 operating in Jordan, he said, noting that this reflects the excellent ties between the two countries “which can be enhanced at various levels”.

Amman and Islamabad are in full agreement in the political field, Shah said, adding that he will work to arrange high-level visits between the two countries in a bid to boost the level of cooperation in all possible spheres.

The armies of Jordan and Pakistan also have excellent relations that date back decades ago, Shah noted.