ISLAMABAD, 12 August 2021, (TON):  President Dr Arif Alvi said that Pakistan would provide 100 scholarships for students of Niger in 2021-22.

He said that Pakistan attached great importance to its brotherly relations with Niger and wanted to further broaden the scope of cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

The President was talking to the visiting Speaker of the National Assembly of Niger, Seyni Oumarou, who along with members of his delegation, called on him at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

He said that both countries enjoyed excellent relations and had unanimity of views on various issues at the international fora. Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser also attended the meeting, a press release issued by the President’s Media Wing here said.

Welcoming the Speaker of the National Assembly of Niger, President Arif Alvi said the entire scope of bilateral cooperation between the two countries needed to be further augmented through the regular exchange of political, parliamentary and commercial delegations.

He said that Pakistan accorded great significance to its ties with Niger under its ‘Look Africa’ policy and wished to sign a Preferential Trade Agreement with Niger that would help enhance economic and business cooperation between the two countries.

Welcoming the recent signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Parliamentary Cooperation, the President expressed the hope that the MoU would bring the two countries further closer.