Pakistan, Qatar explore trade routes linking Middle East, Türkiye, Europe

According to Business Recorder, Pakistan and Qatar have explored wider regional trade corridors that might extend from Pakistan to Türkiye and on to European markets. The talks took place alongside the Belt and Road Summit, where Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan met several regional counterparts.

Jam Kamal met Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, Ahmad bin Mohammad Al Sayed, and the two sides compared assessments of recent events in the Middle East and their economic fallout. Jam Kamal praised Qatar's resolve to safeguard calm in the region, and the Qatari minister in turn credited Pakistan with significant efforts toward regional peace. Separately, Jam Kamal met Sri Lanka's trade minister, Wasantha Samarasinghe, to discuss widening bilateral trade and making fuller use of Pakistan's first Free Trade Agreement, while the Sri Lankan minister highlighted the growing weight of artificial intelligence and cyber security.

Meetings with Bangladesh's commerce minister, Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, and IoMed Secretary General Teresa Chan also featured on the agenda. Jam Kamal cited rice exports to Bangladesh as proof of trade growth and pointed to scope in textiles, while the Bangladeshi side expressed interest in industrial cooperation. Chan explained that IoMed, set up in 2025, counts Pakistan among its founding members, and the two discussed mediation in disputes involving governments and private entities.