Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday landed in Ankara for a three-day visit — his first since assuming the office last month.
A high-level delegation — including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Investment Board Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, PM’s special assistants Tariq Fatemi and Fahad Hussain — is accompanying the prime minister, while Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will join the delegation later on.
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi, senior government officials, and diplomatic personnel gave the premier a warm welcome. Apart from this, a contingent of the Turkish Army presented a salute to the prime minister.
During his visit, the prime minister will have a tete-a-tete with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which would be followed by delegation-level talks.
Besides discussing the Pakistan-Turkey bilateral relations, the two leaders would also exchange views on regional and international issues. They will also address a joint press statement after their meetings.
As both countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, both leaders will jointly unveil a logo — marking the commencement of the celebrations.
On his Twitter handle, the prime minister posted his views prior to his departure to Turkey.
He said that time has arrived for Pakistan and Turkey to further leverage on their excellent bonds to upgrade the bilateral ties as era of regional connectivity and shared development called for fresh approach.
“Departing for visit to Turkey. Time has come for Pakistan & Turkey to leverage their excellent bonds to upgrade bilateral ties. Era of regional connectivity, shared development & common destiny calls for a fresh approach. Look forward to discussing this with my brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” the prime minister said in a tweet.
The foreign office spokesperson in a separate press release said that the historic and long-standing relations between Pakistan and Turkey were firmly anchored in common faith, shared history, and a glorious tradition of mutual support to each other on issues of core interest.
The relationship between Pakistan and Turkey is underpinned by structured institutional mechanisms. The High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) is the primary platform at the leadership-level, which has been instrumental in further cementing bilateral relations. So far, six sessions of the HLSCC have taken place. The 7th session is slated to take place this year.
“The Turkish leadership and the government have steadfastly supported the just cause of Kashmir. Turkey is an important and active member of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. The two countries have convergent views on a range of issues including peaceful and stable Afghanistan, Palestine, and countering Islamophobia,” it was added.
“Besides being part of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries, the Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey is important in the context of deepening and broadening bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, regional connectivity, health, education, culture and people-to-people relations. It will help in further strengthening the leadership dialogue and existing multi-dimensional strategic relationship between the two countries and will impart fresh impetus to the efforts to take this unique partnership to new heights,” the spokesperson said.
