The Pakistani Embassy on February 21 launched a Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, which is expected to help further the connectivity between the two countries.

It also named Duong Quoc Thai, General Director of the Saigon Plastic Packaging JSC as Honorary Consul General.

Addressing the ceremony, Pakistani Ambassador Zaigham Uddin Azam said the move will contribute to boosting future trade and cooperation between Pakistan and Vietnam , as well as HCM City in particular.

Together with the embassy in Hanoi , the new Consulate General will work to accelerate the bilateral multifaceted cooperation towards a target of 2 billion USD in two-way trade by 2020, he said.

Nguyen Hong Linh, Director of the HCM City Municipal Department of External Affairs spoke highly of the opening of the office, describing it as an evidence of Pakistan ’s desire to foster ties with Vietnam and the city – a national economic, culture and technology hub.

The new Consulate General will be an information centre for businesses that are keen on seeking investment opportunities and partnership in Pakistan , he stressed.

Setting up diplomatic ties on November 8, 1972, Vietnam and Pakistan have conducted various cooperation programmes in agriculture, education-training and science-technology.

The two countries are working to expand their cooperation to other fields, including information and telecommunications, finance-banking and health care.

Bilateral trade has seen a sharp yearly increase of 25 percent and hit 500 million USD in 2013.-VNA