Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal met with Ambassador of Lebanon to Pakistan, His Excellency Abdulaziz Issa, to discuss avenues for strengthening bilateral relations through trade, education, tourism, sports and people-to-people exchanges.
Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the need to expand bilateral trade and investment, highlighting Pakistan’s export potential in pharmaceuticals, textiles, rice, cement, construction materials and light engineering products. He proposed organizing Pakistani trade exhibitions in Lebanon and facilitating reciprocal business delegations to explore new commercial and investment opportunities.
Underscoring education as a key area of cooperation, the Federal Minister proposed semester-long student exchange programmes between Pakistani and Lebanese universities, with mutual recognition of academic credits. He also offered to facilitate engagement with Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission to promote university partnerships and academic collaboration.
The Minister stressed the importance of strengthening people-to-people ties through tourism, cultural exchanges and sports, proposing exchanges of football, basketball and volleyball teams to promote sporting cooperation and provide athletes with international exposure.
The Lebanese Ambassador briefed the Minister on the situation in Lebanon, noting that although conditions had improved in several areas. Ambassador appreciated the role of Pakistan for peace in Middle East. Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening bilateral engagement and exploring practical initiatives to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and Lebanon.
