Ambassador of Romania Emiliam Ion said on Friday he was confident that the Romanian Consulate in Faisalabad would play a pivotal role in boosting bilateral trade between the two countries.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the Romanian consulate office near Khurarianwala on Friday. Ion congratulated Mian Faiq Javaid on his appointment as an honorary consul of Romania and said he was positive that Javaid would help to cement the friendly relations between the two countries.
Ion said the consulate office would help the local business community secure its share in the global market. “Pakistan has huge coal reserves. It can utilise them to generate electricity,” he said. Romania had invested in the oil refinery and the plastic industry in Karachi and was trying to gauge potential for monetary assistance in other areas. “Romanian consultants will visit Pakistan soon to explore possibilities to generate electricity from coal and hydel sources,” he said.
Ion said the consulate would help promote cultural, economic and educational ties between the two countries.
Javaid said he would try his best to further improve trade relations. “It is a great privilege to be an honorary consul and I hope other embassies would follow suit and open consulates to enable trade relations with the business community in Faisalabad,” he said.
Earlier the ambassador and the honorary consul unfurled the Romanian flag and sang its anthem. Ion said several businessmen had been invited to visit Romania to explore business opportunities to enhance trade.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2013.