Pakistan, Turkiye trade must achieve next level: FPCCI Chief proposes Pakistan–Türkiye Joint Business Meeting under ECO-CCI

KARACHI: The President of the ECO Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECO-CCI) and FPCCI, Atif Ikram Sheikh, has proposed convening of a Pakistan–Türkiye Joint Business Meeting under the auspices of the ECO CCI in collaboration with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).

The proposal had been formally conveyed to TOBB as a follow-up to the recent meeting between the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of the Republic of Türkiye in Istanbul, during which the two leaders agreed to enhance bilateral trade to USD5 billion.

Atif Ikram Sheikh stated that the leadership of both countries had provided a clear direction for strengthening economic and commercial relations, and it was now the responsibility of the private sectors of Pakistan and Türkiye to complement those efforts through stronger business-to-business engagement, investment partnerships, and institutional cooperation.

He observed that despite the longstanding brotherly relations between the two countries, bilateral trade remained significantly below its true potential.

During 2025, Pakistan’s exports to Türkiye amounted to USD369.2 million, while imports from Türkiye stood at USD866.5 million, taking the total bilateral trade to USD1.236 billion.

He said that those figures clearly indicated substantial untapped opportunities for trade expansion and diversification.

The ECO CCI & FPCCI president noted that Pakistan’s principal exports to Türkiye included rice, textile yarn and fabrics, garments, leather and leather products, sports goods, surgical instruments, carpets, and agricultural products.

Türkiye, on the other hand, exported machinery, iron and steel products, chemicals, electrical equipment, plastics, processed food products, and construction materials to Pakistan.

He said that both countries possessed strong industrial and commercial complementarities that could be leveraged to substantially increase bilateral trade and investment.

Atif Ikram Sheikh further stated that the proposed Pakistan–Türkiye Joint Business Meeting would bring together leading businessmen, exporters, investors, and sectoral associations to identify new avenues of cooperation, facilitate joint ventures, strengthen supply chain linkages, and promote investment in sectors of mutual interest. He added that the meeting would also provide an opportunity to formulate practical recommendations for achieving bilateral trade target set by the leadership of the two countries.

He underscored that Pakistan and Türkiye had been prominent members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), also work closely under the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD), the D-8 Chamber of Commerce and Industry and CACCI.

He expressed his confidence that those regional platforms could play a vital role in promoting greater economic integration, trade facilitation, and private sector collaboration.

Atif Ikram Sheikh expressed optimism that through coordinated efforts of the ECO CCI, TOBB, and FPCCI, the business communities of both countries would make a meaningful contribution towards translating the vision of their leaders into concrete economic outcomes and establishing a stronger and more dynamic Pakistan–Türkiye economic partnership.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026