LAHORE:
Turkmenistan Ambassador Atadjan Movlamov has stressed that economic cooperation is inseparable from regional stability and asked diplomatic missions to encourage exchange of business delegations and sector-specific dialogue that will result in real projects.
He mentioned trade facilitation, energy cooperation, technology exchange and cultural diplomacy as fertile areas for collaborative projects and encouraged both government and private-sector actors to work together to remove practical bottlenecks.
He was speaking at the “Ambassadors Dinner”, hosted by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to deepen Pakistan’s diplomatic ties and accelerate economic cooperation with the outer world.
The Turkmenistan envoy underscored the role of business diplomacy in fostering mutual understanding and collaboration, adding that such forums “create trust and are a precursor to long-term trade and investment commitments”.
Ambassadors, high commissioners and senior representatives from 43 countries of Asia, Europe, America, Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world attended the event.
LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad shed light on the broader role of Pakistan in regional commerce and global value chains. He called the LCCI’s diplomatic engagement an essential part of Pakistan’s growth strategy and urged the international community to view Pakistan as a partner in trade, industry and investment.
Mian Abuzar emphasised that Pakistan was positioned as a natural logistics and trade hub geographically that could link South Asia with Central Asia and the Middle East, and urged partners to capitalise on the emerging corridors and transit routes.
He drew attention to the sectors where investment could be made immediately, which included textiles and garments, agribusiness and food processing, renewable energy, information technology and digital services, pharmaceutical and infrastructure. He asked foreign partners to focus on joint ventures, technology transfer and capacity building.
LCCI Senior Vice President Engineer Khalid Usman said that the proposals would be consolidated into a policy brief to be submitted to the Ministry of Commerce and federal and provincial authorities for concrete reforms in customs, trade facilitation and SME support.
He declared that the Lahore Chamber would collaborate with partner embassies in designing joint training and technical assistance programmes targeted at small and medium enterprises and women entrepreneurs.
He underlined the need for rapid, measurable steps such as pilot trade corridors and dedicated financing windows that would demonstrate quick wins and build momentum for larger projects.
