- FM met his Singaporean counterpart Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
- Bilawal says that the world needs to see Pakistan as a promising emerging market.
- Emphasized that relations with ASEAN are Pakistan’s priority.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday urged the world to take a “fresh look” at Pakistan and move away from its stereotypical image.
Bilawal said that as a young political leader, I strongly feel that the world needs to move away from the stereotypical image of Pakistan and take a fresh look at it. The Straits Times Before his first trip to Singapore.
Pakistan’s top diplomat told the Singapore-based publication that “Pakistan has many opportunities waiting for the world”. However, he said the first step is to take advantage of these opportunities. Travel advice Against Pakistan
“I strongly feel that we need to look more objectively at the world as a promising emerging market,” Bilawal said. He highlighted Pakistan’s young population and the country’s fastest growing middle class.
Relations with ASEAN
One of the industries mentioned by the foreign minister was the Pakistani e-commerce market. Based on data from German research firm Statista, the country’s e-commerce market is expected to generate US$7.67 billion in revenue in 2022, he told the publication.
He also highlighted that there are many freelancers in Pakistan who are providing services in IT, telecom, e-commerce, data analytics, financial services, music and health.
“Singapore and other ASEAN countries outsource many IT-related activities and financial services and can benefit immensely from our young talent.”
On the occasion of the visit, Pakistan’s top diplomat emphasized that relations with ASEAN countries are Islamabad’s priority. He added that Islamabad is trying to upgrade its partnership with the regional bloc to a full dialogue partnership.
“Some of the recent ASEAN initiatives are of great interest to Pakistan which we believe are bound to open immense trade and investment opportunities for emerging economies including Pakistan. We believe that our startup and fintech ecosystem Connecting with South-East Asia can make a huge contribution,” Bilawal said.
Bilawal is in Singapore where he met his counterpart Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office today, the two leaders reviewed the status of bilateral relations and agreed to enhance bilateral ties and cooperation.
He will also meet President Halima Yaqoob during his official visit.
The foreign minister told a Singaporean publication that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Singapore in the context of ASEAN.
He highlighted how Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize Singapore after independence and how the Pakistani diaspora had contributed to the country’s development in its early years.
Bilawal pointed out how the two countries have exchanged high-level visits in the past, including former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s visits to Pakistan in 1988 and 1992 and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s visit in 1995.
“Over time, we lost momentum in our bilateral relations,” Bilawal said, adding that he was coming to Singapore “to restore that momentum and accelerate our bilateral exchanges.” Pakistan wants to strengthen this relationship in all dimensions.