Vietnam, Pakistan to sign free trade agreement soon: Envoy Pham Hong Kim

The Ambassador of Vietnam to Pakistan Pham Hong Kim on Monday said that Vietnam and Pakistan were actively considering signing 'Free Trade Agreement' to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.

Addressing the members of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), he added that the two sides will soon start negotiations for signing the Free Trade Agreement.

The Ambassador said that exchange of trade delegations could play an instrumental role in boosting the bilateral trade between Vietnam and Pakistan.

He was confident that both sides would welcome business and investment delegations and urged business Community of Sialkot to concentrate on exploring potential business opportunities of Vietnam markets.

In his address of welcome the SCCI President Zahid Latif Malik said that in order to promote B2B linkages Vietnam Embassy in Pakistan may facilitate signing of MoU (Memorandum of Understanding between prominent Vietnam based chambers of Commerce and Industry and Sialkot Chamber for accelerating trade and commerce activities.

He said the total trade volume between the two countries is around US 610 (M) in dollars with the balance of trade in favor of Vietnam.

SCCI President underscored the need of collaborating efforts by SCCI and Embassy of Vietnam, adding, "We can enhance trade by facilitating frequent interaction of private sectors and promoting B2B linkages".