ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: Pakistan and Egypt have agreed to convene the 2nd Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in the federal capital before the year-end, besides expediting the process of establishing a joint business council.

This was decided at the third round of two-day political consultations between Pakistan and Egypt that concluded here on Tuesday.

The political consultations are an annual feature as stipulated in an MoU signed between the two countries in 2001.

Ambassador Aly Houssam El-Hefny, Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs, led the Egyptian delegation while Manzar Shafiq, Additional Secretary (Middle East and Africa) headed the Pakistan delegation.

The two sides reviewed the state of bilateral cooperation in various fields with a view to further enhance the ties for their mutual benefits. They agreed that frequent and regular high-level visits from both sides were necessary to bolster bilateral relations in the political and economic fields, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

According to the statement the two sides expressed satisfaction over the steady increase in bilateral trade and private sector investments in the past few years and resolved to further consolidate their economic ties.—Q.A.