The Slovenian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GZS) hosted on Tuesday an event aiming to help Slovenian business representatives enter the Pakistani market, the GZS said in a press release on Wednesday.

Tooby Ghafur of the Pakistan Change Initiative, a non-profit organisation, highlighted among other things business opportunities for furniture makers and IT service providers in housing in the UAE .

She also pointed to imports of textile and chemical products, as well as raw materials and semi-products from Pakistan.

Ghafur advised Slovenian companies to access Pakistan through the UAE by launching a company there, as links between the UAE and Pakistan are very good, with more than 50 flights a day.

Ghafur underlined the importance of personal relationships with business partners. The view was echoed by Slovenian expat Tamara Hribar, who has worked in Dubai for nearly a year.

She underlined that people were very friendly and open for cooperation; however, to launch a business one must gain their trust, which takes a not of time.

Data for the first five months of the year show EUR 29.5m in trade between Slovenia and the UAE, with exports from Slovenia accounting for as much as EUR 29.3m. Last year trade was at EUR 80m, 25.6% more than in 2012.

Trade between Slovenia and Pakistan amounted to EUR 7.4m in the January-May period, with imports from Pakistan accounting for EUR 6.5m. Last year trade totalled at EUR 11.4m, a 33.3% drop over the year before.