RCCI chief wooes Turkish businessmen to take benefit of Pakistan’s condusive investment environment

ISLAMABAD, Aug 12 (APP): RCCI President Raja Amir Iqbal has wooed
Turkish businessmen to take advantage of the conducive investment and business
enviroment in Pakistan.
He made a comprehensive presentation about business opportunities in
the country at “Pakistan-Turkey Business Opportunities Conference”
organized by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (RCCI) in collaboration
with All Industrialists & Businessmen Association of
Turkey (TUMSIAD) in Istanbul.
Over 700 businessmen from Pakistan and representatives of over 150 Turkish
companies attended the event, a message received here from
Istanbul Saturday said.
Raja Amir Iqbal said Pakistan had over 185 billion tons of coal
reserves which was equivalent to 618 billion barrels of crude oil
reserves in terms of energy output, while the country had 31.3
trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves.
He urged the businessmen of both countries to play their role to enhance bilateral
trade, which was about $610 million in 2016.
Raja Amir Iqbal also briefed the Turkish businessmen about the
multi billion-dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project,
which would transform the entire region into a hub of economic
activities.
Speaking at the conference, Charge d’ Affairs of Pakistan Syed Ali
Asad Gilani said the multi-faceted relationship between Pakistan and
Turkey was flourishing in diverse fields.
“The growing Turkish involvement in socio-economic development of Pakistan are
clear manifestation of the desire of the leadership on both sides to transform this strong
political and cultural relationship into
a robust economic partnership,” he added.
Gilani highlighted that symbols of Turkish corporate footprint on Pakistan’s economic
landscape were emerging fast. Metro buses, solid
waste management, Turkish participation in the construction of different portions of
Motorway, Arcelik’s investment of $ 258 million for
acquisition of Dawlance, Zorlu’s undertaking of 300 MW of Solar power generation in
Quaid-e-Azam Solar Energy Park, and Hayat Kimya’s plans
to invest $ 50 million for setting up a baby diaper manufacturing
facility in Pakistan were some of the examples of growing Turkish
investment in Pakistan, he added.
The Charge d’ Affairs also lauded the RCCI for its initiative and hoped that the
two-day event would provide an opportunity for business communities of the two
brotherly countries to further closer.
Consul General of Pakistan Dr Yusuf Junaid apprised the
participating business tycoons of the two countries about the deep historical and cultural
roots of Pakistan-Turkey relations. He urged
them to work hard for increasing bilateral trade to realise its true potential and showed
his satisfaction at the bilateral investment.
Vice President of Turkey-Pakistan Business Council of the Foreign Economic Relations
Board (DEIK) Mustafa Riza Arsan shared his experience about doing business and making
investments in Pakistan.
“We found Pakistan as the most business friendly country where investments are
safe and offer high return in the entire region,” Riza
Arsan said.
Chairman of the Anatolian Tigers Businessmen Association (ASKON)
Mustafa Koca, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said 15,000
companies of ASKON were ready to support Pakistani companies and institutions.
“Turkish businessmen are eager to share their experience, knowledge and capital with
their Pakistani brothers,” he added.
The conference was followed by Business-to-Business (B2B) session. Turkish and
Pakistani companies explored opportunities for joint ventures and trade in various
sectors, including construction, textile, services, energy, tourism, etc.
A number of orders were placed while the B2B forum proved a useful platform for
establishing joint ventures and business collaboration in diverse sectors.
Separately, the 30th RCCI International Achievement Awards
ceremony was held where awards were presented to successful Pakistani companies and
entrepreneurs for their outstanding performance.
Addressing the ceremony, chief guest Turkish Deputy Minister for Economy Fatih
Metin said on the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey was negotiating
a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) with Pakistan.
“Our target is to enhance bilateral trade to US$ 5 billion in a
short term,” he added.
TUMSIAD Chairman Yasar Dogan, in his address, said his
organization had established an office in Pakistan as it was keen to
enhance collaboration in diverse sectors including textiles,
transportation, housing, and tourism sectors.
The audience enjoyed vibrant cultural performance of Pakistani and Turkish artists
which was followed by a musical night. It was for the
first time that an event of this scale was organized by RCCI outside Pakistan.