ISLAMABAD, Oct 16 :Secretary General of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Paris Dimitri S. Kerkentzes on Monday said that Pakistan had immense potential for investment that required more projection on various platforms including Expos. While expressing his gratitude to the contributions made by Pakistan in the Rules Committee of BIE emphasized that Pakistan offered multiple opportunities regarding trade and the same needed to be fortified effectively.
The Embassy of Pakistan France held a special event in Paris to mark the accomplishments of the outgoing Members of the Rules Committee of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) of which Pakistan is a very active member.
Trade & Investment Officer Arooj Mehwish Rizvi in the presence of Ambassador of Pakistan Asim Iftikhar Ahmad welcomed the Secretary General of BIE Dimitri S. Kerkentzes together with the Representatives of Belgium, Angola, Romania, USA, Columbia, Haiti and Malta, to the Embassy. The officer said that Pakistan was elected as Member of the Rules Committee in 2019 and was re-elected for a subsequent term of two years in 2021 – which now stands completed, a press released said.
Ambassador of Pakistan Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in his address appreciated the role of BIE in facilitating Pakistan to participate in international events and Expos. He said that an effective trade diplomacy together with international players (BIE) plays a significant role in projecting the businesses and finding new avenues / markets.
He thanked BIE for extending its support to Pakistan as a Member State regarding promotion of its exports and further added that BIE is playing a lead role in bridging developing countries with the developed ones in the areas of trade and investment. It is worth mentioning that BIE is the intergovernmental organisation in-charge of overseeing and regulating all international exhibitions that last more than three weeks and are of non-commercial nature (Expos).
Starting from 31 countries that created the BIE in 1928, the Organisation has grown to 182 Member States, as a result of the success and the appeal of Expos. Four (4) types of Expos are organised under its auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.
The headquarters of the BIE is located in Paris. Pakistan’s first Expo participation as an independent state date back to Expo1951, the International Textile Exhibition in the French city of Lille, and it has had a presence at most Expos since the 1960s. In 2007, Pakistan joined the BIE in order to strengthen its involvement in Expos. At Expo 2020 Dubai, its pavilion received a Silver Award in its category for Exhibition Design. The event was also attended by the officers and officials of the Embassy.
Published Mon, 16 Oct 2023, (APP NEWS) By Najam ul Hassan