ISLAMABAD, March 4: Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan said on Thursday that Pakistan and Yemen would soon start negotiations for signing a Preferential Trade Arrangement (PTA) to enhance bilateral trade between the two countries.

Addressing a news conference here, the commerce minister said that in this connection Yemen would send a technical delegation to Pakistan within next three months to finalize the modalities of the proposed treaty.

Following this, Mr Khan said, the Yemeni minister for industry and trade would visit Pakistan to sign the agreement. The Pakistani side also expressed its willingness to send a technical delegation to Yemen in this regard, if so required, he added.

He said the PTA would finally be converted into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) following the successful implementation of the PTA. At present bilateral trade between Pakistan and Yemen stood at $50 million, which was highly in favour of Pakistan.

Pakistan's major exportable items to Yemen included rice, textile products, pharmaceutical and surgical products. Mr Khan said that Pakistan had offered export of agriculture products to Yemen.