At the invitation of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Swedish investors agreed to join the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and CPEC-related Special Economic Zones (SEZs), as FPCCI Chairman Qurban Ali urged, in addition to increasing business to business connectivity between Pakistan and Sweden, to improve bilateral economic and trade ties.
He chaired a meeting at the FPCCI Capital Office on Thursday with Sweden’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Henrik Persson, along with senior business leaders, including FPCCI Capital House Coordinator Mirza Abdur Reham and others. Also present at the meeting were former FPCCI Vice President Muhammad Ali Quaid, Hunza CCI President Mehboob Rabani, ICSTSI President Malik Zaheer, CCI President Mandi Bahauddin Haider Raza Naqvi, and others.
The Swedish ambassador was invited to invest in areas such as hydropower, tourism, mining, transportation and housing.
Emphasizing the importance of Gilgit Baltistan (GB) as a gateway to opportunities for Swedes to interact with China and the Central Asian Republics (CARs), the Chairman of the FPCCI said that Swedish entrepreneurs could launch joint ventures with local industrialists in the SEZs of the region, thereby increasing business and industrial cooperation between the two countries.
“As GB has enormous potential to produce hydropower, foreign investors can use cheap energy for their industrial sector,” he added.
Similarly, he underscored the role of the deep-sea port of Gwadar in helping Western countries achieve their economic and trade objectives.
Ambassador Persson agreed to invest in Pakistan and was also involved in investments in the telecommunications, IT, renewable energy, education, academia, business growth and environmental protection sectors.
In addition, the Swedish Ambassador expressed his satisfaction with the completion of 16 rounds of economic and trade consultations and, through Pakistan, enhanced cooperation with regional countries.