Pakistan, Romania eye twinning of Constanta and Karachi ports

According to Mettis Global, a business mission from the Pakistan-Romania Business Council held talks in Constanta, Romania, weighing whether the port cities of Constanta and Karachi could one day become twinned. The mission was headed by Atif Farooqi, Romania's honorary consul designate for Sindh, and joined a bilateral business meeting organised by the Constanta chamber of commerce, industry, navigation and agriculture. Deputy Mayor Adriana Arghirescu, PRBC Chairman Sohail Shamim Firpo, the chamber's general manager and local business figures were among those present.

Talks ranged across shipping and logistics, farming, food processing, factory output, technology, schooling, tourism and capital flows. Participants pointed to a March 2026 memorandum between the Port of Constanta and Karachi Port Trust, and expressed interest in closer institutional ties that could eventually produce a city twinning deal. Those present argued that a tie of this kind could help trade and investment, along with tourism, schooling, culture and municipal involvement.

The participants committed to ongoing contact, scouting commercial openings and promoting exchanges between firms and institutions. According to the report, the visit is part of a wider push to convert warm diplomatic ties into hands-on economic collaboration and lasting commercial alliances. Farooqi also expressed gratitude to Dr Dan Stoenescu, Romania's envoy in Islamabad, for his encouragement and the foreign ministry's assistance.