President emphasises increasing economic, cultural ties with Cote d’Ivoire

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said that Pakistan enjoyed cordial relations with Cote d’Ivoire and underscored the need to enhance economic and cultural ties with the West African nation for the mutual benefit of the two countries. The president said this while talking to the Ambassador-designate of Pakistan to Cote d’Ivoire Mahmood Akhtar Mahmood who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

During the meeting, the president asked the ambassador-designate to explore opportunities for advancing trade and economic relations with Cote d’Ivoire. He said that there was great potential to increase the exports of Pakistani rice, medical and surgical equipment, pharmaceutical products and sports goods to Cote d’Ivoire. President Zardari also called for exploring possibilities to promote cultural relations and people-to-people contacts to strengthen the friendship between the two nations. He urged the envoy-designate to make efforts to further improve bilateral cooperation. The president also congratulated Mahmood Akhtar Mahmood on his appointment as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire and wished him a successful tenure.