Gawadar project will help penetrate Central Asia: Zakria

[Salman]

The central Asia is a big market and expansion of Gawadar project would be helpful to penetrate this market by enhancing the regional bilateral trade between ECO member countries.

FPCCI President and CCI ECO Zakaria Usman said this in a meeting with Turkish Consul General Murat Mustafa Onrat and Commercial Counsellor of Turkey at FPCCI Head Office, Karachi. The meeting was also attended by Sr Vice President Shaukat Ahmed and vice presidents Ismail Suttar, Mazhar Ali Nasir and Khurram Sayeed, FPCCI Secretary General and CCI ECO MA Lodhi and other prominent importers and exporters.

Zakaria Usman stressed on expedite working on PTA between Pakistan and Turkey which was still under technical discussions at both sides and suggested that items should be consented with FPCCI so that there should not be any anomaly in PTA on account of selection of products of both the countries.

Zakaria Usman further said being the President of ECO Chamber of Commerce, he had the task to enhance the regional bilateral trade amongst the ECO member states. He said the relation of Pakistan and Turkey were long-lasting, time-tested and brotherly but on the trade side many of Turkish products were not known by Pakistani people and vice versa. He suggested that the display center of Turkish products should be opened on joint venture basis in Karachi and Lahore to introduce the Turkish products in Pakistani market.

Similarly the display center of Pakistani products should also be opened in Turkey to introduce Pakistani products to Turkish people. In this way, we will be succeeded in developing people to people contact and strengthen the brotherly relations between both Pakistani and Turkish people.

The consul general of Turkey said the VAT was a local tax and not levied on exportable items. He assured that the matter would be looked into on priority basis and he also invited such Pakistani importers to submit their details in his office.

He also appreciated the suggestion of opening display center of Turkish products in Karachi and said their commercial section would evaluate this project and it will get back to the FPCCI. He informed that Turkey was now technologically very advanced and it could extend support and collaboration to Pakistan particularly in the energy sector