FTA termed important for Pakistan, Turkey

ICCI president stresses free trade will give boost to two-way commerce

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkey have been enjoying friendly relations for decades and these should be translated into growing trade and economic ties between the two countries, emphasised a top industry official.

"Pakistan and Turkey have been negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) for the last many years, which is very important for both countries. Finalisation of the FTA will give a boost to trade between the two sides," said Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed.

He, along with ICCI member Umair Abdul Nasir, was on a visit to Turkey to participate in the 4th International Silk Road Businessmen Summit being held in Trabzon province. He met Trabzon Governor Ismail Ustaoglu, ministers and members of the business community of the province.

Waheed briefed the Turkish side about the investment potential of Pakistan, including Gwadar Port and different sectors of the economy. He discussed with them many potential areas of mutual cooperation and emphasised that both countries should focus on further enhancing trade and economic relations to realise mutually beneficial results.

The ICCI president invited Turkish businessmen to visit Pakistan and explore opportunities of joint ventures and investment in their areas of interest and assured them that the chamber would fully cooperate in connecting them with the right partners.

Speaking on the occasion, the Trabzon governor expressed the desire that both countries should focus on developing strong business linkages between their respective private sectors to explore all untapped areas of bilateral cooperation.

He said he considered the International Silk Road Businessmen Summit as a very important meeting for the advancement of trade and culture, which had an important place in the ancient past of Trabzon.

"Trabzon has a very important trade history dating back centuries and this summit will carry our vision of trade and tourism forward," he said.

Accepting the invitation of ICCI delegation, Turkish entrepreneurs said they would try to visit Pakistan soon in order to explore avenues of business partnerships with their Pakistani counterparts.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2019.

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