Shehbaz and Erdogan discuss regional and global issues. Turkish president says Israel must not ruin agreements
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a joint press conference in Istanbul. PHOTO: APP
ISTANBUL:
Pakistan and Turkey on Saturday expressed their commitment to increase bilateral trade volume to $5 billion and discussed ways to increase bilateral trade and investment in special economic zones.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the commitment at a joint press conference after their meeting here.
The Turkish president said peace efforts in the Middle East could not succeed without regional support and that Israel should not be allowed to “diminished” the US-Iran peace deal.
Speaking alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Erdogan said: “No solution that is not based on the will and contributions of the countries in the region can be lasting.”
“We are closely following the Israeli administration’s attempts to blow up the (US-Iran) agreement… The current war-addicted Israeli government must not be allowed to drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood again,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan also said Turkey was seeking to deepen cooperation with Pakistan in energy, transportation, critical minerals, information technology and defense, while pursuing a bilateral trade goal of $5 billion.
The Prime Minister, in his remarks, appreciated Turkiye’s unprecedented progress in all fields under the leadership of President Erdogan and said Pakistan was proud of its friendship with Turkiye.
He said important meetings were held with Turkish businessmen at the B2B forum and extensive and constructive talks with President Erdogan.
“We discussed increasing investment in special economic zones and are determined to achieve the target of $5 billion in bilateral trade volume.” He mentioned the common stance and cooperation of the two countries in global and regional disputes and said Pakistan supported Turkiye’s position on the Cyprus issue.
He thanked Turkiye for his unequivocal stance on the Kashmir issue. The Prime Minister, mentioning talks aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation, said Pakistan’s success was Turkiye’s success and Turkiye’s progress was Pakistan’s progress. “We have to give a new dimension to the partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye.”
He thanked President Erdogan for the wonderful welcome and warm hospitality. He described Istanbul as a beautiful city and a beautiful mix of East and West and said that the people of Pakistan and Turkiye have a deep love and attachment for each other.
“There is a sincere bond between the two,” he said, recalling that in Turkiye’s war of independence, Muslims of the subcontinent fully supported and mothers and sisters donated their jewelry.
“This unique relationship is based on faith, culture, history, mutual brotherhood and shared sacrifices.”
He said that relations between Pakistan and Türkiye have a wonderful history. Both countries always supported each other in all difficulties.
“Be it war or earthquake, natural disasters or floods, Turkiye has always stood by Pakistan. Turkiye’s help in Muzaffargarh and other flood-affected areas is part of history,” he mentioned.
He said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself came to flood-affected Muzaffargarh along with his wife and the Turkish President’s wife even donated her necklace for the victims and her act won the hearts of the people of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister also thanked Turkiye for establishing modern hospitals and schools in areas affected by natural disasters and for his cooperation in social and economic development. The Prime Minister said, “We are proud that Pakistan and Turkiye are one soul, two bodies. The thoughts of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi and Allama Iqbal guide us.”
In his remarks, Turkiye President Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences to the Pakistani citizens who lost their lives in the tragic bus accident in Balochistan. He said that during the talks they exchanged views on regional and global issues with special attention to bilateral relations.
He said the entire world breathed a sigh of relief thanks to the calm achieved through the Islamabad MoU.
“Recently, reports in the international media had highlighted the challenges involved in the negotiation process,” he said and congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the people of Pakistan for playing an important role in achieving this outcome.
He said Turkiye supported and will continue to support every step to reduce tensions in the region and resolve problems through diplomatic means. “We are closely following the provocations of the Israeli administration aimed at sabotaging the agreement. The Zionist regime had linked its survival to the continuation of conflicts in the region.”
He said Israeli forces were also continuing their illegal and inhumane attacks on the people of Gaza. He said Turkiye sought the establishment of an environment in which all people in the region, regardless of their faith, can live in peace and security.
“We are also making every effort to create such an environment. We will continue to work in solidarity with brotherly countries, including Pakistan, to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” he stressed.
He said: “Our solidarity with Pakistan continues in all fields. We discussed the steps we can take to further improve our trade and investment relations in a manner consistent with the spirit of solidarity.”
“We have reaffirmed the objective of increasing the volume of bilateral trade to the previously set level of five billion dollars. The respective trade ministries were working on the special economic zone for entrepreneurs in Karachi. Similarly, negotiations were underway to expand the scope of our preferential trade agreement,” he revealed.
He said he believed that the business forum attended by Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif would also contribute to our relations in terms of investment and trade.
“We also encourage our investors to participate in more activities in Pakistan. Our cooperation in defense industries is one of the cornerstones of our economic relations and continues to strengthen with each passing day. We are implementing these projects step by step,” he added.
He said Turkiye wanted to deepen cooperation with Pakistan in the field of energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technology and we reaffirm the shared commitment on this path.”
Earlier on Saturday, officials from both countries attended a “business forum” in Istanbul. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan
Bayraktar said Turkish companies wanted to contribute to projects in Pakistan and share Türkiye’s experience in the energy sector as Pakistan undergoes a transformation of its electricity sector.
Investment
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to maintaining a transparent, predictable and investment-friendly business environment, supported by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), to facilitate strategic investments in high-value sectors, particularly information and communications technology.
The Prime Minister expressed these views during a meeting with Turkcell CEO Ali Taha Koc, who visited him in Istanbul, Turkiye.
During the meeting, the prime minister underlined the importance of deepening cooperation between Pakistan and Turkiye in the digital and technological sectors.
He shared the government’s vision of establishing a Pakistan-Turkiye digital corridor to strengthen regional digital connectivity, facilitate secure cross-border data flows and advance digital infrastructure integration, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
Highlighting the rapid evolution of Pakistan’s digital landscape, the Prime Minister invited Turkcell to explore long-term collaboration with Pakistani institutions in areas including 5G deployment, network optimization, spectrum management, digital infrastructure and technology transfer.
He also encouraged the company to consider partnerships in local manufacturing of telecom equipment, software development, digital skill development and capacity building, noting that such cooperation would strengthen Pakistan’s technology ecosystem while generating opportunities for innovation, employment and sustainable growth.
Ali Taha Koc appreciated the Government of Pakistan’s forward-looking digital transformation agenda and expressed Turkcell’s keen interest in exploring collaboration opportunities in telecommunications, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies.
He reaffirmed the company’s commitment to working closely with relevant Pakistani stakeholders to develop mutually beneficial partnerships that contribute to the shared economic and technological aspirations of Pakistan and Turkiye.
