Prishtina, 28.01.2013 – We are grateful for the recognition of Kosovo by Pakistan last year, a very important recognition both in the political and economic context, said the Economic Development Minister, Besim Beqaj, after the meeting he had with Foreign Affairs Minister of Pakistan, Malik Amad Khan, under the visit of the Pakistani high level delegation in Kosovo.

In a joint press conference with the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Minister Beqaj said that he was honoured to exchange information on economic development of both countries and possibilities of cooperation, and added that proper economic development is the best way to strengthen diplomatic relations with Pakistan.

“As you know, as of yesterday we have established diplomatic relations with Pakistan, and we are now interested to find ways to cooperate. I informed Minister Khan with the status of economic development in the Republic of Kosovo, cooperation we have with countries in the region, and cooperation we have with the EU”, said Beqaj.

Economic Development Minister said he informed Minister Khan with the possibilities to exchange goods in the future with Pakistan, and the possibility to use Kosovo as a transitional country to export goods towards the European Union, with the aim of benefiting from trading preferences the EU has given to the Republic of Kosovo.

“We discussed on the exchange opportunities in the level of chambers of commerce, in the level of business, and to explore the sectors where we can have relevant cooperation”, said Beqaj.

From his part, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Malik Amad Khan, highlighted that even before recognition of Kosovo by Pakistan, the people and the government of the country had close relations with Kosovo and supported it in various forms.

He said that Pakistan has supported Kosovo internationally as well, including in membership in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

“In addition to the official recognition, we also discussed about exchanges of delegations between the two countries, in the ministerial, and chambers of commerce levels, which would lead to a greater cooperation and interaction between people and businesses of the two countries”, said Khan.

Pakistani Foreign Minister said that it is still early to speak of specific sectors of cooperation, but that in the discussion with Minister Beqaj, potential areas of cooperation have been identified, including textile, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and tourism.