Ethiopian Flight to Karachi Promotes Trade, People to People Interaction with Pakistan: Ambassador
The commencement of Ethiopian Airlines flight to Karachi will help to promote the trade and people to people interaction of Ethiopia and Pakistan, Pakistani Ambassador to Ethiopia, Shazab Abbas said.
The Ethiopian Airlines is set to commence flights to Karachi next month.
The airline will serve as a link between Pakistan, Africa, and the rest of the world as it connects Ethiopia and Karachi, allowing the two nations to further strengthen their existing strong socio-economic ties, it was indicated.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador Abbas said Ethiopian Airlines will start flights between Karachi and Addis Ababa from 26 March 2023.
Once the flight becomes operational, it will be a milestone to bolstering the bilateral relations of the two countries, the ambassador elaborated.
On other hand, Abbas indicated that the airlines business will contribute in promoting the trade and people to people interaction between Ethiopia and Pakistan.
“The initiation of flights between the two countries will promote business between the two countries. You know more than 150,000 people travel every year from Pakistan to Africa. This is a huge number,” he noted.
However, Ambassador Abbas said since there is no direct connectivity from Pakistan to Africa right now, it will be nearly as opportunity to Pakistanis to travel directly from Pakistan to Africa
“So this will not only give a good business opportunity for Ethiopian airlines in Pakistan, but also play a critical role in promoting the trade ties between the two countries. This is very important,” he added.
Moreover, the ambassador stated that the existing level of bilateral trade relations between Ethiopia and Pakistan stood about 75 million USD, in which the share of Pakistan is little higher than Ethiopia.
“I wish the balance of trade between the two countries should be very healthy, and both sides should enjoy the comparative advantage of each other. I hope Ethiopia will learn a lot from Pakistan and Pakistan will also learn a lot from Ethiopia,” according to the ambassador.
This connection will be a gateway for Pakistan business people and ordinary people as well as to be more aware about Africa and Ethiopia.
The interaction level between the two countries is not very high and it’s just an ordinary kind of interaction which I would like it to be promoted to the next level.
Pakistani business delegation will be flying to Ethiopia on March 5-10 to exploring business, trade and investment opportunities, he indicated.
It is indicated that Pakistani investors have been showing a strong desire to invest in Ethiopia in various sectors.
Ethiopia imports mainly sugar products, rice, packaging bags, and medical supplies from Pakistan while exporting cereals, tea leaves, spices, and textiles to Pakistan, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ethiopian Airlines commands the lion’s share of the Pan African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 145 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency