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LAHORE, Oct 16 (APP): Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Irfan Neziroglu, Thursday visited Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and met President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol.
LCCI Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh, Vice President Khurram Lodhi, Acting Consul General of Turkiye in Lahore, and Commercial Counselor and Executive Committee members were also present.
Welcoming the ambassador, LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol said that Pakistan and Turkiye share deep-rooted cultural, historical, and strategic ties. He highlighted the strong collaboration between both countries in several sectors, particularly in defence. He noted that Turkiye’s geopolitical role in recent global developments has been highly significant. Referring to Pakistan’s recently signed defence pact with Saudi Arabia, he stated that it marks an important milestone, and Pakistan now seeks to further expand its relations with Turkiye.
The LCCI President stressed the importance of business-to-business (B2B) meetings, trade delegations, and continuous engagement between the private sectors of both nations. He also appreciated Turkiye’s steadfast support for Pakistan during the recent tensions with India.
LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol said that a large potential for economic cooperation remains untapped. He noted that according to the State Bank of Pakistan, bilateral trade stood at around USD 908 million in 2024–25, with exports to Turkiye at USD 264 million dollars and imports at USD 643 million.
He added that Turkiye’s global exports exceeded USD 261 billion while imports were nearly USD 344 billion in 2024, and Pakistan seeks to increase its share in this trade with Turkiye’s support.
The LCCI President said Pakistan’s exports to Turkiye are mainly textiles, while imports include machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, and plastic products. He emphasized that the Trade in Goods Agreement signed in 2022 offers a solid base to raise the bilateral trade volume to at least USD 5 billion.
Ambassador Dr. Neziroglu congratulated the LCCI leadership and lauded the Chamber for its vital role in promoting business and industrial growth. He remarked that whenever he visits Lahore, he makes it a point to visit the LCCI, calling it a “school” that has produced two Prime Ministers, a Foreign Minister, and a Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan. He commended the LCCI as one of the most active and dynamic chambers in the region.
Ambassador Dr. Irfan Neziroglu said that Turkiye and Pakistan are actively working to enhance and expand the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two brotherly countries to strengthen economic cooperation and open new avenues of bilateral trade and investment.
The ambassador reaffirmed that Pakistan and Turkiye are “brotherly nations” and emphasized the need to move from traditional, room-based approaches to more power-based systems in order to meet the demands of the modern global economy. He expressed Turkiye’s strong interest in initiating joint ventures in energy, IT, tourism, education, mining, and other vital sectors.
He said that Pakistan has great potential in the livestock sector, but its share in the international halal market remains low and requires more focused efforts to improve.
He also invited the LCCI President to lead a business delegation to Turkiye in November, adding that his government is ready to host Pakistani entrepreneurs during upcoming exhibitions. Dr. Neziroglu said that Turkiye is ready to share its advanced technologies with Pakistan so both countries can learn from each other and build upon existing expertise instead of starting from scratch.
He added that while defence cooperation between the two nations remains robust, there is a strong need to diversify trade and expand collaboration in other areas such as electronics, rice, leather, and especially textiles—a common strength of both economies. He further noted that Pakistan’s access to certain regional markets and Turkiye’s trade linkages can complement each other to create new opportunities for mutual growth.
The Consul General of Turkiye also highlighted the potential for learning from each other’s experiences to improve business competitiveness and innovation.
LCCI Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh proposed that Turkiye could explore joint ventures with Pakistan in the automobile and other industrial sectors.
Vice President Khurram Lodhi thanked the ambassador for his visit and reaffirmed LCCI’s full support for strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to enhance economic, technological, and cultural cooperation, and to take concrete steps toward expanding the Preferential Trade Agreement between Pakistan and Turkiye.