ISLAMABAD - Trade officers should explore opportunities to diversify exports of goods and services in their respective areas of jurisdiction, says Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan.

"Trade officers must take advantage of opportunities offered by CPEC and growth in Pakistan's national economy," he said while chairing a conference of trade officers of Pakistan deputed in countries of European Union.

The two-day conference was organised by the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels to discuss and review challenges, opportunities and strategies regarding trade and investment with European Union, particularly in the context of GSP+, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce.

In his keynote address to the participants of the conference, Dastgir expressed the resolve to meet the challenges faced by Pakistan in European markets vigorously and to device strategies to promote Pakistani products. He called upon trade officers to take advantage of opportunities offered by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and growth in Pakistan's national economy made possible by strengthening of democratic institutions and improvement of security situation in Pakistan.

The minister advised trade officers to explore opportunities of diversifying exports of goods and services in their respective areas of jurisdiction and share successful experiences with each other. He said that with the improvement in security situation investors had started coming back to Pakistan. Moreover, country's liberal policies of investment offered one of the most attractive investment regimes in the region, he added.

The opening session of the conference was co-chaired by Pakistan's ambassador to Belgium, EU and Luxembourg Naghmana A Hashmi and Pakistan's Permanent Representative to World Trade Organization in Geneva Dr Tauqeer Shah. Trade officers discussed Pakistan's trade with European Union and made detailed presentations on their respective countries.

Pakistan's trade with European Union has increased substantively after the grant of GSP+ status to Pakistan. According to the figures provided by Eurostat, the total volume of trade for 2015 was 10,499 million Euros as compared to 9,603 Euros in 2014 and 8,377 Euros in 2013. In 2015, exports from Pakistan constituted 6,071 million Euros and imports from EU stood at 4,428 Euros. In 2016, for the period from January to August, Pakistan's exports to EU were 4,207 million Euros as compared to 4,088 Euros in the corresponding period in 2015, showing an increase of three percent. Home textiles, clothing, footwear, cotton, surgical instruments, leather and sports goods make major portion of Pakistan's exports to the EU.

The trade officers who participated in the conference included: Omar Hameed, economic minister in Brussels, Belgium; Muhammad Naseem Rashed, commercial secretary in Brussels; Jehangir Mushtaq, commercial counsellor in Berlin; Rizwan Tariq, commercial counsellor, Consulate General of Pakistan, Frankfurt, Germany; Muhammad Daud Pirzado, commercial counsellor, Prague, Czech Republic; Ahmad Irfan Aslam, commercial counsellor, Paris, France; Saira Imdad, commercial counsellor, Rome, Italy; Syed Mahmood Hassan, commercial counsellor, The Hague, Netherlands; Dr Muhammad Hamid Ali, commercial counsellor, Madrid, Spain; Sajid Raja, commercial counsellor, London, United Kingdom; Shoaib Zafar, commercial secretary, Manchester, United Kingdom and Saima Sabah, commercial counsellor, Stockholm, Sweden.