ISLAMABAD: Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Monday expressed Ottawa’s interest in expanding trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan during meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad.
Anand, who is on a one-day official visit, said Canada was eager to explore new opportunities for bilateral collaboration, particularly in agriculture, mining, energy, and the automobile and auto parts sectors, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The PMO said Anand described the proposed Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA) as “instrumental” in strengthening Canadian investors’ confidence in Pakistan.
The statement added that Anand said she was visiting Pakistan on the instructions of Prime Minister Mark Carney to “expand Canada’s relations with Pakistan”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said Pakistan and Canada shared friendly relations that should be further strengthened through greater cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, agri-food, vaccine manufacturing, renewable energy, and the automotive sector.
The premier also conveyed his best wishes to Prime Minister Carney, recalled their telephone conversation in April, and thanked Canada for supporting Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace.
Both sides agreed that the Pakistani community in Canada plays an important role in strengthening ties between the two countries and committed to exchanging trade and mineral-sector delegations to identify new opportunities for investment and economic cooperation.
During the visit, Pakistan and Canada also signed a protocol outlining phytosanitary requirements for the import of genetically modified Canadian canola for food, feed and processing purposes. The Foreign Office said the agreement reflected both countries’ commitment to enhancing agricultural and trade cooperation.
Dar later hosted a luncheon in honour of Anand, attended by ministers and senior officials from both countries.
Economic ties remain priority
Speaking at a joint press conference, Dar described Anand’s visit as an “important milestone” in bilateral relations, saying economic cooperation remained a “key priority”.
“Her visit is an important milestone in Pakistan-Canada relations and reflects our shared commitment to further strengthening our bilateral ties,” he said.
Dar noted that Pakistan and Canada enjoy longstanding ties based on historical links, strong people-to-people contacts and a vibrant Pakistani diaspora.
He said the two sides explored ways to boost trade and investment, including stronger business-to-business engagement, while inviting Canadian investors to explore opportunities in education, energy, mining, critical minerals, agriculture, infrastructure and information technology.
“Our discussions today provided an opportunity to review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchanges on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” Dar said.
He added that both countries agreed to maintain the momentum through regular consultations, stronger institutional cooperation and greater interaction between relevant ministries and stakeholders.
The talks also covered investment facilitation, education, labour mobility, science and technology, climate change and people-to-people exchanges. Dar said Pakistan’s National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority (Nafsa) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would pursue future technical cooperation and capacity-building initiatives.
He also said both countries welcomed continued engagement aimed at reaching an “early and mutually beneficial conclusion” of the FIPPA.
Anand thanked Pakistan for its hospitality, noting that it had been about two decades since a Canadian foreign minister last visited the country.
“Today is an important day for the continued increased bilateral relationship between our two countries,” she said.
“Our two countries have shared 80 years of diplomatic relations and there is continued work to do, of course, to deepen our ties in the area of economic relationships, trade and investment,” the Canadian foreign minister added.
During the joint briefing, Dar said the two sides also discussed regional and global developments, including Afghanistan, counterterrorism cooperation and the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which he described as “one of the long-outstanding unresolved international disputes” on the UN Security Council’s agenda since 1948.
