The Pakistani president said on Saturday that his country is likely to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Turkey, according to local media reports.

A statement by the Associated Press of Pakistan reported that President Arif Alvi said during an event in Karachi that an FTA would boost the bilateral trade between the two countries.

Alvi said he discussed the FTA with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his recent visit to Istanbul. He said there were seven meetings held on the issue before, but the FTA was not previously realized because of concerns held by Turkey.

"Now, these hindrances will be removed and the FTA will be finalized soon," Alvi said.