Syrian foreign minister proposes establishment of Business Council

ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, accompanied by a high-level delegation, visited the ministry of commerce and held a session with Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan.

Key points

• Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani proposed establishing a Pakistan-Syria Joint Business Council to facilitate direct interaction between the business communities of the two countries.
• The Syrian foreign minister informed Jam Kamal Khan that a delegation from Syria's Ministry of Economy.
• Jam Kamal Khan warmly received the Syrian foreign minister and his delegation and extended cordial greetings on their first visit to Pakistan.
• Jam Kamal Khan expressed Pakistan's willingness to explore sending a trade and business delegation to Syria.
• Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani briefed the commerce minister on Syria's reconstruction and development priorities.

Jam Kamal Khan warmly received the Syrian foreign minister and his delegation and extended cordial greetings on their first visit to Pakistan. He remarked Pakistan greatly valued its longstanding, brotherly relations with Syria, rooted in shared history, culture and mutual respect. The commerce minister expressed solidarity with the individuals of Syria and conveyed condolences over the loss of lives and hardships endured during the prolonged conflict. He additionally expressed his best wishes for Syria's peace, stability, reconstruction and long-term prosperity. Maritime minister seeks policies to unlock $10 billion fisheries potential.

Jam Kamal Khan briefed the Syrian foreign minister on Pakistan's diverse economic and export potential, particularly in textiles and apparel, pharmaceuticals, leather, sports goods, food processing, rice and other agricultural products, light engineering, information technology, cosmetics and value-added products. He remarked the complementary strengths of the two economies offered considerable scope for mutually beneficial cooperation. He emphasized the importance of greater interaction between the private sectors of Pakistan and Syria to explore trade, investment and joint-venture opportunities.

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Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani briefed the commerce minister on Syria's reconstruction and development priorities. He highlighted the resilience of the Syrian individuals and the progress being produced in restoring essential infrastructure and public services. The Syrian foreign minister identified housing, real estate, energy, transportation, seaports, agriculture, industry and human-resource development as promising areas for cooperation. He observed that the existing volume of bilateral trade did not reflect the true potential of the two countries and stressed the need for sustained institutional and business engagement.

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Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani proposed establishing a Pakistan-Syria Joint Business Council to facilitate direct interaction between the business communities of the two countries. He additionally proposed convening a joint investment forum in Damascus, bringing together representatives from the private and public sectors of Pakistan and Syria.

In practice, the Syrian foreign minister informed Jam Kamal Khan that a delegation from Syria's Ministry of Economy. It additionally oversees trade and industry, would visit Pakistan to further explore opportunities for bilateral cooperation. Jam Kamal Khan proposed close coordination between the relevant trade authorities of the two countries to identify priority sectors and prepare a practical roadmap for cooperation. He additionally suggested arranging virtual meetings between Pakistani and Syrian businesses ahead of in-person engagements to facilitate focused and productive business matchmaking.

Meanwhile, the commerce minister further proposed reviving the Pakistan-Syria Joint Ministerial Commission and its relevant Joint Working Groups to provide a structured institutional framework for advancing cooperation throughout various sectors. He additionally underscored the importance of activating the existing framework between the chambers of commerce of the two countries through regular exchanges, business delegations and business-to-business engagements.

Jam Kamal Khan expressed Pakistan's willingness to explore sending a trade and business delegation to Syria. He additionally conveyed Pakistan's interest in strengthening its trade representation and institutional presence in Syria going forward. Both ministers reaffirmed their shared resolve to deepen Pakistan-Syria relations and agreed to maintain close coordination for translating the existing goodwill into concrete progress in trade, investment and economic cooperation.

For now, syrian foreign minister proposes establishment of Business Council remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.