LAHORE: A special ceremony was held at Lahore Fort on Friday to celebrate the completion of 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Netherlands.
The ceremony was attended by Governor Baligur Rahman, Ambassador of the Netherlands Hennie de Vries, Honorary Consul of the Netherlands Asma Hameed, former Federal Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, Tahir Khalil Sindhu and former Governor Shahid Hameed.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said that Pakistan attaches great importance to bilateral relations with the Netherlands. He said that the two countries stand by each other in testing times.
He said that Pakistan helped the people of the Netherlands in the 1953 floods, adding that Pakistan appreciated the Dutch humanitarian and technical assistance after various natural disasters, including the recent floods in 2022.
The governor said that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is increasing. He said that the Netherlands is the second largest export destination of Pakistani products in the European Union. He said that the Netherlands was among the top 10 countries investing in Pakistan, while more than 60 Dutch companies are currently operating in the country.
Mr. Rahman said that Dutch investors can benefit from the facilities granted to investors in the Private Investment Facilitation Board. He said that in recent years, many young professionals have benefited from highly skilled immigration visas and contributed to the Dutch economy.
The Ambassador of the Netherlands and others also spoke at the ceremony.
Published in Al-Fajr, December 2, 2023
