ISLAMABAD, April 4: Pakistan and Syria on Thursday agreed to further enhance and strengthen the existing trade cooperation between the two countries with the latter showing interest in Pakistani products like fertilizers, wheat, rice and sugar.

“Syria needs fertilizers, wheat, rice and sugar from Pakistan and we are looking what we can supply from these products,” Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood told APP after the signing of a protocol agreement between the two countries at the conclusion of the fourth session of Pakistan-Syria Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) here.

The Syrian side was led by Dr. Ghassan El Rifai, Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, while Pakistan delegation was led by Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood.

Mr Razak said that the discussion between Pakistan and the Syrian delegation covered the areas of cooperation like information technology, engineering sector and general products.

He said Syria was also interested in Pakistan’s telecommunication and railways sectors, adding, there are also prospects of direct investment from Syria but not immediately.

“We have raised an offer to the Syrian government to allow their products to come into Pakistan and hope vice versa,” he said.

Dr. Ghassan El Rifai told APP that the ‘protocol agreement’ signed by the two sides was a comprehensive agreement, different from previous ones, in which “we have introduced new areas of cooperation like services sector and other related areas.”

He said that the two sides agreed not to limit just to the protocol but would think about opportunities of cooperation as they arrive.—APP