The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is facilitating the expansion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Kazakhstan and has helped organize the third ‘Made in Pakistan’ trade event at the Atakent Exhibition Center in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on May 19-23. Dr. Sajjad Ahmed Seehar, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Ryder Rogers, Director of USAID Central Asia’s Economic Development Office, opened the exhibition on May 19.
In his opening speech, Dr. Sajjad Ahmed Seehar welcomed attending Pakistani businesses and praised the role of USAID and the governments of Pakistan and Kazakhstan in organizing the third ‘Made in Pakistan’ exhibition. He said the event was a positive step in developing sustainable trade relationships between the two countries and in the entire region, emphasizing the organizers’ operational and financial support to attending businesses. Not only does the exhibition develop trade relations between the nations, he said, but also builds people-to-people connections.
Director of USAID Central Asia’s Economic Development Office, Ryder Rogers, thanked the governments and embassies of Pakistan and Kazakhstan for their commitment to strengthening trade linkages. “Mutually beneficial economic trade is an essential element for creating broad-based prosperity for the people of Kazakhstan and Pakistan. This event is an important step for exploring opportunities for closer regional cooperation,” he said.
This exhibition was organized by USAID/Pakistan in collaboration with Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Kazakhstan, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Pakistan and Pakistan’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
A total of 53 companies from Pakistan set up 60 stands at the exhibition, displaying products including:
- Textiles (including home textiles, towels, fabrics, and apparel/garments)
- Surgical instruments
- Sports goods (including sports wear)
- Construction products (including paints and coatings)
- Handicrafts, salt and onyx/marble products
- Food products including confectionary (rice, tea, legumes, grains, vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, food colors, juices and spices)
- Skin care and herbal products (including pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements)
- Leather products
- Kitchenware, silverware, hunting knives and cutlery
USAID’s Pakistan Regional Economic Integration Activity is a seven-year initiative which seeks to develop Pakistan’s trade sector, and enhance its regional integration with Central Asian countries.
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USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information, visit the USAID Central Asia website: https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDCentralAsia.