Federal Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan held a bilateral meeting with Türkiye’s Minister of Trade, Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, on the sidelines of the 42nd Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) in Istanbul. Khan asked for Türkiye’s help in opening wider market access and increasing exports of Pakistani mangoes to Turkish buyers.
Bolat said he fully supported increasing imports of Pakistani mangoes and acknowledged the scope for expanding agricultural trade between the two countries. Both ministers described their talks as productive and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening trade ties between Pakistan and Türkiye.
Basmati rice support and a Turkish delegation visit
Khan thanked Türkiye for its strong backing of Pakistan’s legitimate claims concerning Basmati rice. He stressed the need for continued cooperation in protecting and promoting Pakistan’s premium farm products in international markets.
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Responding to Khan, Bolat highlighted the importance of effective marketing and branding of Pakistani Basmati rice in Türkiye, which he said would help strengthen its market presence and raise consumer recognition. He also agreed to send a delegation of Turkish officials to Pakistan to review existing bilateral trade mechanisms and explore practical steps to improve trade relations.
Both sides underlined the need for sustained institutional engagement, closer business cooperation and better coordination. The aim, they said, was to turn existing economic opportunities into concrete trade and investment outcomes.
Industrial land offered to Turkish firms in Karachi
Khan also pointed to investment opportunities for Turkish companies in Pakistan. He referred in particular to 1,000 acres of land set aside for Turkish enterprises in the Karachi Industrial Park.
He invited Turkish businesses to take advantage of the opportunity by setting up industrial units and expanding their manufacturing and investment presence in Pakistan.
Talks with SESRIC on trade data across OIC states
Separately, Khan met H.E. Ms. Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, Director General of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), on the sidelines of the COMCEC session. She briefed him on the centre’s ongoing activities, research initiatives and reports on trade among member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). She also highlighted SESRIC’s role in providing statistical information and analysis to support economic cooperation among Islamic countries.
Khan praised SESRIC’s work and stressed that accurate, reliable and clean data were essential for economic research and policy. He said credible statistics and evidence-based assessments were needed to spot emerging trade trends, understand market conditions and judge trade potential among OIC members.
He added that better data quality and detailed trade analysis could help member countries find untapped opportunities, address trade barriers and design more effective strategies to boost intra-OIC trade. He called for stronger research-based cooperation and the use of reliable trade statistics to support informed decisions and deeper economic integration among OIC countries.
According to the ministry, the engagements reflected Pakistan’s commitment to its long-standing relations with Türkiye through expanded commercial partnerships, agricultural trade and industrial cooperation.
