June 15, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 14, 1424

KARACHI, June 14: Pakistan and Turkey will sign land transport agreement during the Turkish prime minister’s three-day visit to Pakistan, official sources said here on Saturday.

The high-powered delegation led by the Turkish prime minister is due to arrive on Sunday. During their stay in Islamabad, the team members will look into ways and means for enhancing and improving bilateral trade, sources said.

The signing of land transport agreement between the two countries will help bring down freight charges and also reduce transportation period. Both the sides will also reach an understanding for exchanging frequent visits of business delegation and holding of single-country exhibitions, the sources added.

They said that an understanding would be reached for sending a trade delegation of top Pakistani businessmen to Turkey in September. The visit will be organized by the Pakistan-Turkish Business Council.

Furthermore, Turkey will hold a single-country exhibition — Turkish Days — in October in Karachi, and Pakistan will organize a similar exhibition in Istanbul in middle of next year. This will be the first-ever single-country fair in Turkey by Pakistan.

Both the countries will also try to have close cooperation in textiles and clothing to face the WTO regime challenges. With Turkey having strong base for textile machinery and Pakistan having large textile industry, both the countries will seek closer relation in textiles, the sources added.

Other areas having wide scope for cooperation between the two countries and are expected to be taken up during the visit include automobile parts, banking, construction and shipping.

The Turkish prime minister will be accompanied by four ministers. However, heads of almost all the leading private sector trade bodies and around 70 representatives of leading industrial and private sector groups will be accompanying the Turkish prime minister.

The biggest delegation of 25 members will be from the Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board, followed by 10 members from Independent Businessmen and Industrialists Association. A five- member team of Union of Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry will also accompany the prime minister.