9th Round of the Mauritius-Pakistan Joint Working Group

The 9th Round of the Mauritius-Pakistan Joint Working Group (JWG), held from 21 to 23 February 2011 in Islamabad, Pakistan, focused on the need for further consolidating the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

The PTA, which came into force on 30 November 2007, allows some hundreds of tariff lines to be traded between Mauritius and Pakistan on preferential terms. The ultimate objective is to pave the way for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that will encompass substantially all products and will also cover trade in services.

Discussions at the 9th Round evolved on the need to put in place concrete programs to create synergies between the business communities of the two countries. Interest was shown by the Mauritian side in establishing cooperation with the light engineering industry as well as the handicraft sector of Pakistan. Both sides discussed the draft framework agreement for trade in services and agreed to engage on project-based cooperation in that area such as ICT, health, education, tourism and logistic services.

Mauritius and Pakistan have agreed to further deepen collaboration ties in the field of higher education. Pakistan will facilitate the admission of Mauritian students for undergraduate and postgraduate programs as well as professional degrees. Both countries share many cultural affinities and in the margin of the 9th JWG, Mauritius and Pakistan signed a Cultural Exchange Program which aims at facilitating the exchange of folk art, music, crafts, and cultural troupes between the countries.

The 9th JWG meeting concluded by the adoption of a joint report in which both the sides undertook to continue to deepen and strengthen the bilateral ties mainly by promoting people to people contact at different levels especially through tourism.

Moreover, during its stay, the Mauritian delegation called upon the Pakistani Minister for Commerce, Mr. Makhdoom Amin Fahim. It also had working sessions at Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry and Federal Board of Revenue.

Since 2005, Mauritius and Pakistan have established a channel of structured dialogue through the JWG with a view to boost the bilateral trade and economic relations. The JWG meets at the level of high officials of the two countries and the meeting is held alternately in Port Louis and in Islamabad to work on the bilateral trade agenda every year.

The JWG held its first meeting in Islamabad in May 2005.