ISLAMABAD - A delegation of Spanish parliamentarians, on its first official visit to Pakistan, met with federal ministers to explore trade opportunities and discuss matters of mutual interest, including IT and economic cooperation. The delegation met Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan. The minister extended a warm welcome to delegation and expressed condolences for loss of lives in Spain’s recent catastrophic floods, caused by historic rainfall, particularly in Valencia province.
We stand in solidarity with the Spanish people and seek to collaborate on disaster response strategies,” Jam Kamal said. The delegation highlighted the historic nature of Pakistan-Spain relations and recognized opportunities to further enhance cooperation in various sectors. Jam Kamal noted the need for increased cultural and educational exchanges to foster mutual understanding between the two nations. Jam Kamal Khan identified food and agriculture, particularly olive production, as areas with significant potential for collaboration.
He informed the delegation that Pakistan has undertaken large-scale olive plantation projects and is hopeful of becoming an olive exporter in the near future. The minister sought Spanish expertise in olive cultivation and invited Spanish businesses to participate in an upcoming agriculture machinery exhibition in Pakistan. Jam Kamal Khan stressed the need for private sector leadership in boosting trade relations and emphasized the importance of business-to-business (B2B) meetings for closer cooperation.
Vicente Azpitarte Perez, head of the delegation, expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s hospitality and solidarity. He acknowledged Spain’s longstanding ties with the Muslim world and emphasized the country’s intention to strengthen relations with Central Asian nations, including Pakistan. He appreciated Pakistan’s potential in diverse sectors and remarked, “We want to explore markets like Pakistan, which we observed has great untapped potential.”
Both sides agreed on the need for business leaders, rather than politicians, to drive economic collaboration. The meeting concluded with a shared vision to foster deeper ties through economic and cultural collaboration. The Spanish delegation thanked Pakistan for its condolences and humanitarian support during Spain’s time of need. Meanwhile, the delegation of Members of the Senate Affairs Committee of Spain called on Federal Minister for Board of Investment, Privatization & Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and discussed various matters of mutual interest. Spanish Senators Vicente Azpitarte Perez, Ms Natalia Ucero, Antononio Gutierrez Limones and Luis de la Pena were included in the delegation who held a meeting here in Islamabad. Talking in the meeting, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that investment opportunities and profit margin in Pakistan are still higher than any other country. He added that despite the problems Pakistan can be a large market for various products and a center of business activities as well. He said that improvements can be made by better management and utilizing the resources available in the country. Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan further said that large-scale bilateral business activities should be initiated between Pakistan and Spain under the business-to-business mechanism because even today Pakistan has uniqueness in important products through which we can increase our exports.
Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, while offering investment in Pakistan to companies from Spain, said that the Spanish Ambassador to Pakistan may provide a list of business entities from his country so that we can invite them properly here and take forward investment matters, accordingly. He assured that all possible cooperation will be extended to foreign investors coming for business and investment purposes and they will be provided with the best environment here. The meeting also discussed the electoral process of Members of the Spanish Senate, their working and other matters of this Institution. Spanish Senators, while talking to Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, told that Pakistan and Spain can increase bilateral cooperation including in engineering, highways, overheads and bridges from which both countries will be benefited. They also discussed the Expo Event being held in the next month.
Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that we have to open the doors of mutual trade and cooperation which can start new relations between Pakistan and Spain in many sectors. He added that both countries should be aware of each other’s business requirements and relevant companies so that we can benefit from mutual experiences and promote joint business activities. In the meeting between the Spanish Senators and Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Pakistani rice, cotton, mangoes and other products were mentioned in a pleasant manner while the delegation of Spanish Senators described their stay here as memorable. The meeting was also attended by Spanish Ambassador to Pakistan Jose A. De Ory and Pakistani Ambassador to Spain Zahoor Ahmed while they both assured their full role in this regard.