Turkey and trade

There are no axes to grind with Turkey, no simmering animosities and a common interest in fighting extremism

It was terrorism that cut short the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. He was due to visit Lahore but because of security concerns after the bombing on February 17, he flew home the same night. Curtailed as his visit was it still allowed for Pakistan and Turkey to finalise a Free Trade Agreement as part of an ongoing process of liberalisation of trade between the two countries. In the joint press conference at the end of the visit both Prime Minister Sharif and Prime Minister Davutoglu vowed to fight all forms of extremism and terrorism, as well as seek the criminalisation of all forms of Islamophobia. There is considerable potential in the development of trade with Turkey, which has for many years been a good friend in an international community that is not always sympathetic to Pakistan.



It is hoped that bilateral trade will be enhanced to $3 billion within two years and $5-10 billion in the following years. Much of this is going to be dependent on an improvement in communication infrastructure. Turkey is far off and the overland route has to pass through Iran and possibly Iraq as well — not easy territory to cross. The Turkish prime minister called for a greater frequency of flights, as well as more cooperation in railways, maritime links and the energy sector. Of these, an increase in air travel is the most ‘doable’ in the short term, but outside of tourism or business travel this is not going to be a major revenue generator or import/export route. Be that as it may, Pakistan’s economy needs all the help it can get, and building on an already established good working relationship is much to be welcomed.

There are no axes to grind with Turkey, no simmering animosities and a common interest in fighting terrorism and extremism, both of them problems that Turkey faces from time to time. Several memorandums of understanding were signed in the course of the Turkish prime minister’s visit along with a generous contribution of $20 million for the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons in Fata, as well as for flood victims. A good day on the diplomatic front, rare perhaps but welcome indeed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th,  2015.

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