ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT): Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Irfan Neziroglu met to discuss avenues for enhancing trade and economic ties between the two countries.
The meeting underscored the historical, cultural, and strategic ties between Pakistan and Turkiye while emphasizing the need to unlock the true trade potential of the relationship.
The leadership of both nations envisions increasing trade and to enhance bilateral opportunities.
He highlighted the operationalization of the “Trade in Goods Agreement” in May 2023, which granted tariff concessions on Pakistani and Turkish products.
Ambassador Neziroglu proposed that Pakistan send a delegation, to Turkiye in January 2025 to discuss actionable plans ahead of a high-level state meeting scheduled in Islamabad.
Minister Jam Kamal Khan emphasized the importance of creating a business-friendly environment to empower the private sector. “The era has changed; our focus must be on facilitating the private sector to lead trade growth,” he remarked, adding that matchmaking initiatives for business-to-business (B2B) engagements would play a vital role in enhancing economic collaboration.
He also referenced his meeting with the Turkish counterpart
Dr Omer Bolat, in Karachi, where he floated the idea of matchmaking among the business community. Both sides agreed to explore opportunities for joint ventures.
The minister also mentioned the Joint Task Force on Textiles, initiated after discussions during the COMCEC Ministerial Meeting in 2023, as a mechanism to rationalize tariffs and strengthen the textile value chain.
Ambassador Neziroglu and Minister Khan agreed on the importance of government-to-government (G2G) and business-to-business (B2B) engagements.
Concluding the meeting, both sides expressed optimism about the future of Pak-Turkiye relations and committed to taking pragmatic steps to achieve their shared economic goals.
The proposed delegation to Turkiye in January is expected to lay the groundwork for significant advancements in bilateral trade and investment.
