Assistant United States Trade Representative for South Asia Michael Delaney recently led a delegation to Islamabad to discuss the ongoing U.S.-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, known as TIFA, with members of the government of Pakistan.
The inter-sessional meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Commerce, covered a broad range of trade and investment-related issues, including expanded market access for Pakistani goods in the United States, business-to-business ties, intellectual property, and progress on the Augmented Joint Action Plan for Trade and Investment, as agreed by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during the Prime Minister’s October 2015 visit to Washington, DC.
Mr. Delaney met with members of the government of Pakistan and discussed issues of bilateral interest. During his meetings, Assistant Trade Representative Delaney emphasized that the United States remains committed to working with the Pakistani government and private sector to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties.
The United States is the largest destination for Pakistani exports and is one of the country’s primary sources of foreign direct investment, and in 2015, bilateral trade between Pakistan and the U.S. surpassed $5.5 billion.
The U.S-Pakistan TIFA provides a strategic framework and principles for dialogue on trade and investment issues between the two nations.
“Pakistan and the United States share a relationship based increasingly on trade and investment, and have a five-year action plan to continue to do so,” Assistant Trade Representative Delaney said. “The United States sees Pakistan’s prosperity as good for the region and good for the United States.”
