January 29, 2006	Sunday	Zilhaj 28, 1426

ONBOARD PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Jan 28: Describing his visit to Norway and Switzerland as productive, President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday expressed the hope for an increased inflow of foreign investment from the powerful European economies.

“I am confident that the visit will set pace for long-term commerce and investment relations, as political leaders and entrepreneurs appreciate the enormous business potential and our strong economic growth,” he told journalists flying back home after a six-day visit.

Speaking about his interaction with Norwegian business leaders, the president said he informed them about the investor-friendly climate existing in the country. “I spoke of Pakistan’s expanding market and protection of investment — and they expressed satisfaction at the fact that the top leadership in the country is committed to facilitating foreign investment in a number of prospective areas,” he said.

Pakistan’s recent economic upsurge, its vital strategic location at the heart of South Asia, Central Asia, China and the Gulf remained a recurrent theme throughout the visit as he rolled out the country’s economic and fiscal policies.

“I told them that we are a country of 156m people, with skilled and qualified workforce, and are committed to deregulation and privatization of large public organizations. These countries have attained a very high degree of industrialization and now seek foreign lands for expansion of their business,” he added.—APP