By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – A visiting Pakistani minister on Wednesday held discussions with Turkish officials on ways to boost bilateral trade.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain, minister for Board of Investment (BOI) and special initiatives, met with officials of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK) in Istanbul.
Cengiz Ozdemir, president of the Türkiye-Pakistan Business Council of DEIK, and representatives of various Turkish business groups were part of the meeting.
Hussain “appreciated their keen interest and recommendations and proposals to deepen trade and economic linkages between two brotherly countries,” according to a Pakistani Embassy statement.
“The meeting also discussed ways and means to achieve the target set by the both countries to take bilateral trade to $5 billion in next three years,” read the statement.
Bilateral trade between the two countries crossed $1 billion in the last fiscal year, the first time it breached the mark since 2011.
During his trip to Ankara this month, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the country’s trade with Türkiye “insufficient,” while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the two sides have set a target of $5 billion.
Hussain’s meeting with DEIK officials “also provided a useful opportunity to follow-up on actions and decisions” taken during Sharif’s visit, the statement said.
The minister “assured the participants of the (Pakistani) government’s resolve and commitment to facilitate businesses and investors,” it added.