The Joint Working Group (JWG), established by Pakistan and Mauritius, concluded its three-day fifth round of talks in Islamabad on Saturday, says an official statement. Anand P Neewoor, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, led the Mauritius delegation while the Pakistan side was represented by the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce Nasim Qureshi. During their visit to Islamabad, the Mauritius delegation called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Khurshid M. Kasuri. The delegation also had working sessions with the Secretary for Commerce, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs and the Secretary for Information Technology. Both sides recalled the existence of excellent friendly relations between the two countries, based on historical and cultural affinities. They underscored the need to build strong economic and trade relations for the mutual benefits of both countries. The Mauritius delegation also held a series of discussions with officials from various organizations, 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). Discussions on the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) have now been concluded. Both sides agreed to expedite the process for the signature of the PTA. The coming into force of the PTA will give a new boost to trade development and will pave the way for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries. Both sides agreed to widen the scope of trade in services, investment, economic and technical cooperation. They also agreed to pursue sector specific dialogue with the view to entering into a framework agreement covering these areas. In order to enhance collaboration amongst the relevant institutions of the two countries, a series of MoUs were finalized between the State Trading Corporations, standard-setting bodies, SMEs authorities and Export promotion agencies. Cooperation in the fields of Fisheries and Research & Development issues will also be pursued. The Civil Aviation Authorities of both countries 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. During the meeting with the Secretary for Information Technology, it was pointed out that the IT Ministers of both countries have expressed keen interest to enhance cooperation. This exchange would be, amongst 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 organize a training course in the field of Trade Policy formulation and economic diplomacy for the benefit of a group of Mauritius officers. Both sides agreed to examine the detailed proposals for the setting up of the 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 Mauritius delegation on the invitation of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry had a working session at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce &Industry and exchanged views with the private sector on promotion of trade between the two countries.
