By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak said Pakistan and its people were really grateful to the Turkish government and its people for their principled stand on Kashmir and supporting Pakistan in Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The defence minister extended his gratitude to Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey Gen (R) Hulusi AKAR who called on him along with his delegation here on Sunday. Minister for Defence acknowledged the visit of Gen (R) Hulusi AKAR, Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey to further foster the relations between both brotherly countries.
He reiterated Pakistan’s strong desire to strengthen its partnership with Turkey in all fields including defence cooperation. “President ‘Recep Tayyip Erodogan’ is a visionary leader and a true friend of Pakistan. His development agenda has been quite successful and will play a key role in the economic and political development of Turkey,†the minister said.
Khattak said that Pakistan was a peaceful country and it did not harbor any aggressive designs where Pakistan’s economic and development engagements should not be construed as an act of belligerency. Pakistan had played a critical role for regional peace and stability and would continue to support all such initiatives in the region, he added. The minister expressed the desire that both countries should continue to explore new ways to further strengthen defence relations. He suggested that joint military exercises between the two countries would enhance the capabilities and professional defence forces.
“We are really happy that the 14th Round of HLMDG in Pakistan from April 17-19, 2019 was successfully concluded. Pakistan is ready to take part in the upcoming 15th Round of HLMDG is scheduled to be held in Turkey in December 2020.†The Defence Minister of Turkey Gen (R) Hulusi AKAR, said that relations between Pakistan and Turkey had a long history. The Turkish government and its people would like to continue with the same pace and momentum. Defence cooperation between the two countries had always been important and we would work closely to further expand it, he added.
