Pakistan, Ethiopia seek stronger trade ties, progress on WTO accession

Pakistan and Ethiopia agreed to pursue closer commercial ties during a virtual meeting on Friday, with talks covering trade access, pharmaceutical registrations and Ethiopia’s bid to join the WTO. Profit by Pakistan Today reported that the two countries also discussed cooperation in manufacturing, agriculture, textiles and investment.

Ethiopia said it had completed 11 of 17 bilateral market-access agreements and asked Pakistan to support the remaining accession work. Pakistan’s commerce minister Jam Kamal Khan called for progress on market-access negotiations and pharmaceutical approvals, while Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul urged continued technical coordination.

The ministers also discussed calling a Joint Economic Committee meeting and preparing a roadmap for trade and investment. Both sides intend to take up pending issues before a proposed bilateral engagement in February 2027.