ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkey have decided to enhance their collaboration in the maritime sector, focusing on joint ventures in shipbuilding, shipping operations, and ship recycling.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, and Turkey’s Minister of Transport. The discussions covered a wide range of opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
Minister Chaudhry invited Turkish businesses to invest in the development of Gwadar port, which he described as being transformed into a modern maritime hub. He also highlighted Pakistan’s potential in the fishing industry, noting the country has a significant quota for tuna fish.
In a move to further deepen engagement, the Pakistani minister announced that Pakistan will host an international maritime conference within the next three months.
Last month Pakistan and Turkey have pledged to expand their economic and strategic partnership, with a special focus on trade, energy, and defense cooperation.
The agreement was reached during the 16th session of the Pakistan-Turkey Joint Ministerial Commission, co-chaired by Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Commerce, Jam Kamal, and Turkey’s Minister of Defense.
In his address, Minister Jam Kamal highlighted the deep, long-standing friendship between the two nations and stressed the need to further strengthen trade relations. A key outcome was the mutual decision to fast-track the implementation of the Trade in Goods Agreement to boost bilateral trade.
To attract foreign investment, Pakistan announced it would offer special facilities to Turkish companies in the Special Economic Zones of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The meeting also resulted in broad agreements to increase collaboration across several vital sectors, including:
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Energy: Renewable energy, oil, gas, and LNG.
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Defense: Further enhancing defense technology, joint production, and capacity building.
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Technology & Agriculture: Cooperation in IT, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, agriculture, and food security.
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Social Sectors: Increased partnerships in health, manpower, media, culture, and tourism.
Officials noted that the newly agreed-upon initiatives, including a Pak-Turkey Textile Technology Center in Faisalabad, are expected to serve as milestones in the growing relationship between the two brotherly countries.
