Swedish Envoy Alexandra Berg Meets Pakistan’s Parliamentary Friendship Group at Parliament House
Bilateral Talks Highlight Climate Resilience, IT, and Renewable Energy Cooperation
Islamabad – 15 August 2025 (Adnan Hameed) : The Pakistan–Sweden Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG), led by its Honorable Convener, Muhammad Khan Daha, held a meeting with Alexandra Berg von Linde, Ambassador of Sweden to Pakistan, at Parliament House, Islamabad.
The engagement aimed to reinforce bilateral cooperation and explore new avenues for enhanced trade, investment, and parliamentary collaboration.
The meeting was attended by Members of the National Assembly, including Shaista Pervaiz, Syed Hussain Tariq, Ch. Shahbaz Babar, Nadeem Abbas, Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, Rana Iradat Sharif, and Shahnaz Saleem Malik (who joined virtually).
In his opening remarks, the Convener highlighted the longstanding and cordial relations between Pakistan and Sweden, founded on mutual respect, shared values, and a commitment to multilateral cooperation. He acknowledged Sweden’s valuable contributions in the fields of development cooperation, education, renewable energy, and sustainable development. Stressing the importance of parliamentary diplomacy as a complement to traditional diplomatic channels, he proposed the establishment of a counterpart Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Swedish Parliament to institutionalize regular parliamentary engagements.
Alexandra Berg von Linde extended felicitations to the people of Pakistan on the occasion of the country’s Independence Day. She provided a comprehensive overview of the over 75 years of cordial diplomatic relations between the two countries, recalling the visit of the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament to Pakistan in 2014.
The Ambassador reaffirmed Sweden’s support for Pakistan at international fora and expressed interest in expanding cooperation in key areas including information technology, transport, packaging, industrial innovation, climate resilience, and parliamentary exchanges. Acknowledging the presence of Swedish companies in Pakistan, she welcomed PFG facilitation in addressing business-environment challenges and underscored the value of sustained parliamentary dialogue.
Speaking on sectoral opportunities, Shaista Pervaiz, MNA, emphasized the untapped potential for trade and investment, encouraging Swedish companies to explore joint ventures with Pakistani businesses, particularly in ICT, agri-tech, renewable energy, and manufacturing. She highlighted Sweden’s leadership in climate change mitigation and green technologies and inquired how Pakistan might best benefit from Swedish expertise in renewable energy, water management, and sustainable urban development.
Syed Hussain Tariq, MNA, reiterated support for joint initiatives in climate resilience, innovation, and academic exchanges. He expressed appreciation for Sweden’s consistent support to Pakistan in international fora, and emphasized the importance of strengthening people-to-people linkages, particularly among students and professionals. He encouraged enhanced business-to-business connections through chambers of commerce, targeted trade missions, and investment forums.
Rana Iradat Sharif, MNA, commended Swedish companies for their contributions to innovation in Pakistan, citing Tetra Pak as an example. He also supported language-exchange initiatives, including opportunities to learn Swedish, as a means tov further deepen bilateral ties. Ch. Shahbaz Babar, MNA, underscored the need for streamlined visa facilitation on both sides to enable smoother business, academic, and cultural exchanges.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to maintain momentum through coordinated follow-up with diplomatic and commercial stakeholders and to pursue structured parliamentary engagements with Swedish counterparts in order to translate discussions into tangible outcomes.
