PM Shehbaz, Turkish President vow to upgrade bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have vowed to upgrade the bilateral ties between Pakistan and Turkey to new heights by infusing new vigour into bilateral cooperation.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, PM Shehbaz said that Pak-Turk relations are embedded in common cultural, religious and spiritual heritage transcending boundaries of time, geography and politics.

“Pakistan attaches great importance to its long standing relations with Turkey,” PM Shehbaz Sharif said, noting that this year, the two countries were celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The prime minister also welcomed the announcement from Turkish President to hold next session of high level meeting in Islamabad in September. He also  announced that a strong business delegation from Turkey will visit Pakistan next June, which will have productive results.

The premier further noted that high-level strategic cooperation have become instrumental to explore Pak-Turk shared interest. He expressed hope that Turkish people will invest in sectors like e-commerce, tourism, education, and hydro power generation.

For his part, Turkey’s Erdogan said during their meeting, they had discussed the regional and international issues in detail. They also reaffirmed to enhance the scope of bilateral ties, he added.

“The high level meeting would be held in Islamabad in September which would further provide opportunity to the both countries to further foster their brotherly ties,” the president added.

President Erdogan resolved that the close friendship and cooperation between the two countries would be further strengthened.

Earlier, the two leaders also witnessed the signing of various agreements and MoUs for enhanced cooperation in diverse areas of mutual interests.