PR. No.148/2007

Date: 31/05/2007

MINISTER OF STATE VISIT TO CROATIA

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, is currently paying an official visit to the Republic of Croatia to kick start the bilateral consultation between the foreign ministries of the two countries tomorrow. The Croatian President H.E. Mr. Stjepen Mesič is expected to receive MOS Bakhtyar for a call on Thursday 31 May.

The MOS held a number of important meetings with the Croatian officials in Zagreb yesterday. He met Mr. Vladimir Vrankovic, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship, Ms. Dunja Konjevod, President of Croatian Chamber of Economy and Mr. Pjer Simunovic, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Croatia.

In his meeting with State Secretary for Economy, Mr. Vrankovic, the two of them reviewed bilateral economic and trade relations. MOS apprised his interlocutor of the trade and investment opportunities in Pakistan and invited the official and business delegations from Croatia to explore the trade and investment potential in Pakistan . Mr. Vrankovic promised to facilitate the private sector in Croatia to establish joint ventures in energy, railways, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and other sectors in Pakistan . They agreed to expedite the finalization of the necessary legal framework and by signing the proposed agreements on (i) trade and economic cooperation and, (ii) protection of investment and avoidance of double taxation between the two countries.

In their meeting, the MOS and President Konjevod in the Chamber of Economy agreed on exploring ways and means to enhance cooperation between the business sectors of the two countries. She expressed keen interest in forging closer cooperation through the establishment of Joint Economic Commission on the one hand and a private sector business council on the other to complement each other for the promotion of trade and business relations. They identified energy and construction sectors as potential areas of cooperation.

MOS had a fruitful exchange of views with Mr. Pjer Simunovič, Assistant Minister for International Organization and Security in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

Islamabad

31 May 2007