The Ethiopia-Pakistan business forum is underway in Karachi with the goal of fostering more commercial and investment ties between the two countries.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mesganu Arga stated at the beginning of the forum that Ethiopia has been working diligently over the past five years to strengthen its diplomatic and trade relations with Pakistan.
He added that Ethiopia is transforming its policies to attract more international investment, urging Pakistani investors to seize this opportunity.
Misganu stated that the Ethiopian government is making a lot of efforts to increase trade volume between Ethiopia and Pakistan.
Chief Executive of Trade and Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Muhammad Zubair Motiwala said for his part that the beginning of Ethiopian Airlines flights to Karachi will give Pakistan a chance to improve its relations with Africa in addition to Ethiopia.
He underlined that the countries should maximize their potential and comparative commercial potential to develop their trade and noted that Ethiopia is a crucial country in Pakistan's relations with Africa.
Accordingly, the forum provided an explanation and discussion of Ethiopia's economic opportunities and favorable environment.
Senior government representatives from various institutions as well as members of the business community attend the forum.
The inaugural flight of Ethiopian Airlines that departed on Monday from Addis Ababa received a warm welcome by Pakistani Government officials upon arrival at Karachi International Airport.
The flight to the most populous city, Karachi, is the 37th destination of Ethiopian Airlines in Asia and connects Addis Ababa and Karachi four times a week, according to the airline.
The new flight resumed after nearly two decades of interruption and is expected to connect Ethiopia to Southeast Asia.
Ethiopia and Pakistan have recently been working to strengthen their bilateral relations to boost trade and investment ties.
The multiple award-winning Airlines announced that in this month it will also launch additional flights to Copenhagen, Atlanata, and Abijan.
Ethiopian is adding new destinations around the world and is currently flying to 145 domestic and international destinations on 5 continents.
Ethiopia will fly four times per week to Karachi and it will be the 37th destination of Ethiopian Airlines in Asia
Ethiopian first served Karachi from July 1966 to December 1971, and resumed the service from June 1993 until July 2004.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency