Syria proposes joint business council with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani on Thursday proposed establishing a Pakistan-Syria Joint Business Council to facilitate direct interaction between the business communities of the two countries.

The proposal, among others, was made during a meeting between the Syrian minister and Pakistan’s Commerce Minister, Jam Kamal Khan, during which the two sides discussed avenues for deepening economic cooperation for expanding bilateral trade and investment.

Mr Hassan, who is leading a high-level Syrian business delegation, also separately called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. An official announcement said the Syrian minister also proposed convening a joint investment forum in Damascus to bring together representatives from the private and public sectors of Pakistan and Syria.The Syrian foreign minister identified housing, real estate, energy, transportation, seaports, agriculture, industry and human resource development as promising areas for cooperation. He noted that the current volume of bilateral trade did not reflect the two countries’ true potential and stressed the need for sustained institutional and business engagement.

He further said that a delegation from Syria’s Ministry of Economy, which also oversees trade and industry, would visit Pakistan to explore opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

Commerce minister says first round of CEPA talks with S. Korea concludes

Mr Kamal proposed close coordination between the relevant trade authorities of the two countries to identify priority sectors and prepare a practical roadmap for cooperation. He also suggested arranging virtual meetings between Pakistani and Syrian businesses ahead of in-person engagements to facilitate focused and productive business matchmaking.

The commerce minister also proposed reviving the Pakistan-Syria Joint Ministerial Commission and its relevant joint working groups to provide a structured institutional framework for advancing cooperation across various sectors.

He also underscored the importance of activating the existing framework between the chambers of commerce of the two countries through regular exchanges, business delegations and business-to-business engagements.

Meanwhile, Mr Hassan called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

During the meeting, the prime minister emphasised the need to translate the longstanding Pakistan-Syria friendship into enhanced cooperation in politics, defence, trade, investment, education and human resource development.

The premier said the resumption of direct flights between the two countries would enhance people-to-people exchanges and facilitate the large number of Pakistani pilgrims who undertake religious visits to Syria.

The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Syria’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and said Pakistan would firmly support Syria’s position on the Golan Heights. He also extended an invitation to President Ahmed al-Sharaa to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date.

He expressed his government’s keen interest in revitalising bilateral engagement, including through early institutional mechanisms for cooperation.

Separately, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held wide-ranging delegation-level talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. The two sides reaffirmed the longstanding brotherly ties between Pakistan and Syria and agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments, including Palestine, the Golan Heights, Afghanistan, the situation in South Asia and developments in the Middle East.

CEPA negotiations

In the meantime, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan said that the first round of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Pakistan and South Korea had been successfully concluded.

The minister disclosed this while addressing the Pakistan-Korea Trade and Investment Conference via video link as chief guest in Seoul.

He said the second round of negotiations was expected to be held soon.

The conference brought together more than 170 Pakistani and Korean entrepreneurs and culminated in the signing of six memoranda of understanding between companies from the two countries. It was also announced that a second conference would be held in Seoul in March 2027 to build on the momentum generated as negotiations on the CEPA progress.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2026