KARACHI: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi on Tuesday received Mr Benedetto Detta Vedova, Italian Deputy Foreign Minister who is leading a business delegation to Pakistan.

SAPM stated that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Italy and is desirous of strengthening bilateral cooperation in all fields.

Highlighting Pakistan’s economic potential, he stated that Pakistan was an investor friendly country, which provides ample opportunities for foreign investors in diverse areas of economy.

He urged the visiting dignitary to encourage Italian medium and small scale entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan’s diverse sectors including energy and infrastructure.

Tariq Fatemi expressed satisfaction at the political consultations held between the two sides a day earlier at the Ministry.

He briefed the visiting dignitary on the Prime Minister’s vision of a “peaceful neighbourhood” and highlighted efforts of the Government of Pakistan to eradicate the menace of terrorism and extremism.

Global and regional issues, including United Nation Security Council (UNSC) reforms and Afghanistan, were also discussed.

The Italian Deputy Minister stated that Italy valued its relations with Pakistan and regarded it as an important country. Italian businessmen were desirous of enhancing their ties with Pakistan and were interested in joint ventures.

Both sides agreed that there was tremendous potential between the two countries on enhancing bilateral trade which has crossed US$ one billion mark.

It was also decided that frequency of high level contacts between the two countries would be increased.

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