ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: Pakistan and Mauritius talks remained inconclusive in the fifth round in finalising the preferential trade agreement (PTA) but both sides agreed to expedite the process for early conclusion of the treaty.
A joint communiqué issued after the conclusion of the Pak-Mauritius Joint Working Group here on Saturday, said that coming into force of the PTA will give a new boost to trade and will pave the way for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Both sides have agreed to widen the scope of trade in services, investment, economic and technical cooperation. They have agreed to pursue sector–specific dialogue with the view to entering into a framework agreement covering these areas.
The Mauritian delegation was led by Anand P. Neewoor, secretary foreign affairs while Nasim Qureshi, additional secretary ministry of commerce led the Pakistani side.
In order to enhance collaboration amongst the relevant institutions of the two countries, a series of MOUs have been finalised between the state trading Corporations, standard-setting bodies, SMEs authorities and export promotion agencies. Cooperation in the fields of fisheries and research and development issues will also be pursued.
The civil aviation authorities (CAA) of both countries have agreed on holding further talks in March, 2007 with regard to air access. The two parties have also agreed to look into these specific training needs.
It was pointed out in the secretaries’ level meeting that the IT ministers of both countries have expressed keen interest to enhance cooperation. This exchange would be, among others, in the business process out-sourcing (BPO) sector, the setting up of joint ventures for the provision of joint services both hardware and software to Mauritius and the SADC/ Comesa region.
The Foreign Trade Institute of Pakistan has offered to organise a training course in the field of trade policy formulation and economic diplomacy for the benefit of a group of Mauritian officers.
Both sides agreed to examine the detailed proposals for setting up of an Urdu Institute in Mauritius to promote cultural exchanges, as well as the development of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah complex in Port Louis.
The Mauritian delegation on the invitation of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry had a working session at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and exchanged views with the private sector on promotion of trade between the two countries.
During their visit to Islamabad, the Mauritian delegation called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs Khurshid M. Kasuri. The delegation also had working sessions with the secretaries for commerce, foreign affairs and information technology.
The Mauritian delegation also held a series of discussions with officials from various organisations, namely the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority, Pakistan International Airlines, Civil Aviation Authority, Central Board of Revenue, Ministry of Industries and National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak).