LAHORE: A 25-member delegation of Turkish Businessmen’s Association TUMSIAD has shown keen interest in joint ventures with Pakistani businessmen in the fields of construction, information technology, energy and pharmaceutical sectors.
The delegation, led by Yasar Dorgon, was talking to Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan. LCCI Former president Bashir A Baksh, Executive Committee Members Awais Piracha, Shahid Nazir, Mian Zahid Jawaid, Ali Hussam, Syed Mukhtar Ali, former EC member Zafar Mahmood and former vice president Saeeda Nazar also spoke on the occasion.
Head of the Turkish delegation Yasar Dorgon said that Turkish businessmen are looking for business partners in Pakistan. He said that Turkey and Pakistan have a lot of potential to give boost to the mutual trade.
Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan said that Pakistan and Turkey are considered important members of OIC and both countries have long historical ties. He said that the Lahore Chamber is fully aware of the significance of these relations and believes in making continuous efforts to work on the agenda of establishing closer and deeper ties with Turkish business community. We patronize Turkey Pakistan Business Council and also collaborate with different forums like TUMSIAD, TUSDEC and Pakistan Turkey Business Association etc. He said that Pakistan’s exports are constantly dropping since 2011 when their worth touched the peak of dollar 756 million. From 2013 to 2015, Pakistan exports kept falling from dollar 407 million to dollar 391 million and lastly dollar 235 million respectively.
The worth of total imports made by Turkey in 2015 was dollar 207 billion and if we determine the share of Pakistan, it is virtually negligible. The imports of Pakistan from Turkey are also not picking up as their total value in 2015 was just dollar 205 million. We must find ways to take the bilateral trade to at least dollar 1 billion in coming two to three years. Although Turkish delegates are mainly interested to see the possibilities of match-making in the areas of construction, IT, energy, furniture, sports equipment, foods, jewelry and light engineering etc., but there are many other fields in which trade cooperation can be expanded.
