ISTANBUL: A “Pakistan Country Day” seminar was organized by Istanbul Chamber of Industry in association with Consulate General of Pakistan in Istanbul on Saturday to inform Turkish businessmen about the trade and investment potential that exists between Turkey and Pakistan. Around 200 businessmen belonging to medium and large size enterprises attended the seminar.
President of Istanbul Chamber of Industry Mr. Erdal Bahçivan addressing the seminar stressed upon the need of increasing the bilateral trade between the two countries and stated that Pakistan is a very good destination for Turkish investment.
Describing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to Pakistan as a welcome development, Bahçivan said that Pakistan has shown an economic growth above the world average. He also referred to over US$50 billion investments between 2015-2030 in the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said this economic revival in Pakistan will have a positive impact on the whole region.
In his address, Consul General of Pakistan, Dr. Yousaf Junaid stated that Turkey and Pakistan are not just friendly but brotherly countries. In his presentation, he outlined the vast opportunities that exist both in trade as well as in investment areas.
He also explained in detail about the efforts made by Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Nawaz Sharif to stabilize the economy and tabulated actions undertaken by his government for development, particularly in energy, infrastructure, fiscal discipline and law and order situation.
During the presentation, Dr. Junaid also delved upon the need of a broad based Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between two countries and stated that textiles sector is of utmost importance to Pakistan.
Deputy Undersecretary, Ministry of Economy Mr. Hüsnü Dilemre in his speech emphasized upon the importance of FTA and stated that a broad based, all encompassing FTA will be of great benefit to both countries, as it will cover both goods as well as services.
The top representatives of the Turkish companies operating in Pakistan in the concluding session shared their experiences regarding operations in Pakistan. These companies namely Coca-Cola Icecek, Arçelik A.S., STFA In?aat, Zorlu Enerji, Albayrak Holding, and Ontex were all of the opinion that Pakistan is a leading emerging economy, extremely friendly to Turkish Businessmen and is highly conducive to Turkish investment, thereby, they sent a very positive message to all the attendees with regard to making investments in Pakistan and increasing bilateral trade.
