KARACHI: Ibrahim Yilmazer, Coordinator MUSIAD, which is the largest businessmen’s association of Turkey, invited the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to participate in the forthcoming 16th MUSIAD Expo, 3rd High Tech Port by MUSIAD and 20th International Business Forum (IBF) Congress scheduled to be organized in Istanbul, Turkey from 9th to 12th November 2016. The invitation was formally presented to President KCCI Shamim Ahmed Firpo by Ibrahim Yilmazer at a meeting during his visit to Karachi Chamber. Senior Vice President KCCI Asif Nisar, Vice President KCCI Muhammad Younus Soomro and KCCI Managing Committee members were also present on the occasion. Briefing the meeting participants about some of the key features of the MUSIAD’s events, Ibrahim Yilmazer said that huge number of visitors were expected to participate in MUSIAD events from different countries around the world and the response received from the business and industrial community of Pakistan was also very encouraging whereas the Minister for Industries has also assured to participate in these events in Turkey. MUSIAD events in Istanbul will provide a perfect opportunity to Pakistani and Turkish business communities to enhance trade ties with each other, besides bringing the two brotherly countries more close to each other, he said. “Although we are a little late, but the participation of business and industrial community of Karachi in MUSIAD events will surely prove very fruitful as special arrangements have been made for Business-to-Business (B2B) and matchmaking meetings, he added. He informed that MUSIAD was the largest businessmen’s association in Turkey with a total of around 11,000 members, over 46,000 companies and 86 branches and representative offices along with 168 allied contact points in 65 countries. Earlier, President KCCI Shamim Ahmed Firpo, while accepting MUSIAD invitation, said that KCCI will look forward to the possibility of participating in 16th MUSIAD Expo, 3rdHigh Tech Port by MUSIAD and 20th International Business Forum (IBF) Congress in Istanbul. Commenting on trade ties, he said that Pakistan and Turkey were all weather friends and their economic ties were based on longstanding and deep rooted bilateral relationship providing economic and political support to each other. “The Karachi Chamber attaches great significance to Pak Turkey bilateral trade relations and has stated on various occasions that “One-Nation, Two-States” was the phrase which best describes the friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries”, he added. He noted that Pakistan exported commodities worth $214.60 million to Turkey while imports stood at $249.18 million during 2015-16. “But keeping in view the huge potential, I believe the existing trade volume can further be raised through collective efforts and we must focus on raising it to $1 billion in the next couple of years”, he added. Shamim Firpo further mentioned that Pakistan and Turkey were currently in the process of finalizing Free Trade Agreement which is likely to be decided by December 2016. “We strongly believe that this FTA will give a boost to existing trade volume and we hope it happens soon”, he opined. He further pointed out that there was a huge potential to enhance bilateral trade relations by exchanging several commodities of interest. Turkey imports pearls & precious stones, pharmaceuticals, cotton, man-made filaments and cereals from other parts of the world. Pakistan can target Turkey as its potential export market for all these commodities.