ISLAMABAD, NOV 19, SPA -- Pakistan and Romania have decided to start projects involving localization of IT contents being taught at schools and outsourcing of software product development to Pakistan, according to an official statement. The two sides also agreed to set up a joint contact group at high government level to smooth away processes for the start of projects in quick time. The agreement was reached at a meeting between Minister for Information Technology Awais Leghari and visiting Romanian Deputy Prime Minister Bogdan Pascu. The Romanian leader is currently visiting Pakistan as head of a strong delegation to explore possibilities of economic cooperation in the wake of Romania's expected accession to the European Union on January 1, 2007. He told Leghari that his country considered Pakistan a valued partner and was keen to promote economic and trade relationship between the public as well as private sectors of the two countries. Bogdan Pascu expressed strong appreciation of the progress achieved in Pakistan's telecom and IT sectors. He conveyed to the minister the desire of several Romanian IT companies to outsource work and call centre services to Pakistan. He said the Romanian companies could also partner with their Pakistani counterparts in projects involving localization of the IT contents being taught at schools since the mode and style of education was quite similar in both Pakistan and Romania. Bogdan Pascu said Romania was poised to become a European Union member from January 2007, which would allow it to import 10,000 strong high-class workforce from outside the EU fold. We are keen to hire young talented Pakistani graduates to provide them with an opportunity to participate in the growth of Romanian economy, he said. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/404356