Pakistan Trade and Cultural Centre was inaugurated in the Embassy of Pakistan in Bulgaria Wednesday, which displays samples relating to main Pakistani export items.

In a statement, the embassy said that the items include textile products, leather goods, sports goods, surgical instruments and medical supplies, Himalayan salt products, and traditional Pakistani handicrafts.

Different paintings depicting the rich cultural diversity of Pakistani provinces are also displayed in the centre, the statement said.

Tsvetan Simeonov, President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, inaugurated the centre in a ceremony attended by businessmen from Sofia, as well as, representatives of regional chambers.

Speaking on the occasion, Simeonov thanked the embassy for its continuous efforts and initiatives to strengthen trade relations between the two friendly countries, including by organising exhibitions and arranging online B-2-B meetings.

He appreciated the initiative of the embassy to establish the centre, which would help the Bulgarian businessmen immensely as they could see the samples directly and get information about the respective businesses.

On the occasion, he also encouraged Bulgarian businesses to take advantage of GSP+ status — which allows the import of Pakistani products duty-free in the European Union markets.

In her remarks, Ambassador Marium Aftab thanked Simeonov and officials of BCCI for their continuous support of all initiatives of the embassy — aimed at cementing the trade relations between the two countries.

She said that the actual trade volume between the two countries was still not commensurate with the actual existing potential.

In this regard, the ambassador encouraged the Bulgarian businesses to take advantage of the still-unexplored Pakistani market and established useful business linkages with their counterparts there.

Aftab assured the full support of the embassy to the concerned business associations and companies in Bulgaria in this regard.

On the occasion, documentaries depicting the trade and tourism potential as well as the rich cultural diversity of Pakistan were also shown to the participants.