President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Türkiye-Pakistan Business Forum, emphasizing the notable progress in bilateral trade and outlining key initiatives to further boost economic cooperation between the two nations.
During his address, President Erdoğan emphasized Pakistan's promising future. He noted that with a dynamic population of nearly 250 million, agriculturally favorable lands, and a strategic location for international trade, Pakistan is poised to emerge as a major economy. He also mentioned that over 50 Turkish companies are already operating in Pakistan, having completed construction and technical consultancy projects valued at nearly USD 3.5 billion, with Turkish investments exceeding USD 2 billion.
President Erdoğan extended an invitation to Pakistani companies to invest in Türkiye, stating, “I would like to invite Pakistani companies to Türkiye to benefit from our investment incentives. The Presidency's Investment Office will guide you throughout the process."
“We have provided all sorts of support to help our investors fully benefit from the trade and economic cooperation opportunities between our two countries. Thankfully, we have covered significant ground in a short span of time through our joint efforts. We will make even more progress and reap the benefits of Türkiye-Pakistan cooperation in various areas, including trade and investments," he added.
Addressing Türkiye's economic resilience, President Erdoğan recalled that despite facing one of the most massive natural disasters in Türkiye's history, the nation has maintained robust economic progress. In 2024, Türkiye achieved a record USD 262 billion in exports, created nearly one million new jobs, and welcomed over 62 million tourists, while the Central Bank's reserves continued to grow steadily.
President Erdoğan also noted that the bilateral trade volume in 2024 reached around USD 1.4 billion—a 30 percent increase compared to the previous year—while emphasizing that this figure is still far from the target of USD 5 billion. "We have a collective duty to fully realize our potential," he stated, adding that transforming the current preferential trade agreement into a free trade agreement would help achieve stable and balanced growth in trade.
President Erdoğan also underscored the importance of enhancing intermodal freight transport and diversifying transport capabilities. He announced plans to reactivate the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul freight train line and implement projects along strategic routes such as the Middle Corridor, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and the Development Road. "These initiatives will benefit the entire region," President Erdoğan remarked.