ISLAMABAD, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and Senegal on Tuesday decided to enhance bilateral trade from its current volume of 30.469 million U.S. dollars a year to its true potential, top officials said here.
The visiting President of Senegal Macky Sall and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached the understanding during their delegation level talks in Islamabad, the PM's office said.
Presently Pakistan's annual exports to Senegal amount to 29.433 million U.S. dollars while imports are at 1.06 million U.S. dollars.
The Senegal President, leading a 34 member delegation, arrived in Islamabad Tuesday morning on a two-day state visit.
Matters pertaining to defence cooperation between the two countries and the proposal for opening a Pakistani bank in Senegal was also discussed during the meeting, a statement issued after the meeting said.
The Prime Minister said that in addition to existing items like textiles, pharmaceuticals and rice, Pakistan can also export leather and leather products, light engineering goods, agricultural machinery and implements to Senegal.
A composite trade and investment delegation led by our Minister for Commerce could visit Senegal in this regard, said the Prime Minister. He also said Pakistan can extend technical support to Senegal for establishment of sugar and cement plants and can also help in promoting its agriculture sector.
Pakistan offered to cooperate in the fields of intelligence sharing, control of human & drug trafficking and capacity building in counter terrorism for Senegal.
"We are happy to offer scholarships for Senegalese students in various fields of education and training in prestigious institutions of Pakistan. I welcome your decision to open Senegalese Embassy in Islamabad, which will further strengthen the bilateral cooperation between our two countries," the Pakistani Prime Minister said.
