PARIS-The Embassy of Pakistan France held a special event to mark the accomplishments of the outgoing members of the Rules Committee of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) of which Pakistan is a very active member, a statement said. Arooj Mehwish Rizvi, Trade & Investment Officer, in the presence of Ambassador of Pakistan Asim Iftikhar Ahmad welcomed the Secretary General of BIE Dimitri S. Kerkentzes together with the representatives of Belgium, Angola, Romania, USA, Columbia, Haiti and Malta, to the Embassy. The officer said that Pakistan was elected as Member of the Rules Committee in 2019 and was re-elected for a subsequent term of two years in 2021- which now stands completed.
Ambassador of Pakistan Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, in his address, appreciated the role of BIE in facilitating Pakistan to participate in international events and expos. He thanked BIE for extending its support to Pakistan as a Member State regarding promotion of its exports and further added that BIE is playing a lead role in bridging developing countries with the developed ones in the areas of trade and investment.
The secretary general of BIE Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, while expressing his gratitude to the contributions made by Pakistan in the Rules Committee of BIE, emphasized that Pakistan has immense potential for investment and this requires more projection on various platforms including expos.
It is worth mentioning here that BIE is the intergovernmental organisation in-charge of overseeing and regulating all international exhibitions that last more than three weeks and are of non-commercial nature (expos). Starting from 31 countries that created the BIE in 1928, the organisation has grown to 182 member states, as a result of the success and the appeal of expos. Four types of expos are organised under its auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano. The headquarters of the BIE is located in Paris.
Pakistan’s first expo participation as an independent state date back to Expo1951, the International Textile Exhibition in the French city of Lille, and it has had a presence at most Expos since the 1960s. In 2007, Pakistan joined the BIE in order to strengthen its involvement in Expos. At Expo 2020 Dubai, its pavilion received a Silver Award in its category for Exhibition Design. As a part of cultural diplomacy, the guests from BIE were introduced to Pakistani cuisine. The event was also attended by the officers and officials of the Embassy.
Source: nation.com.pk
