-Erdogan says Pakistan has vital role to bring peace, stability to Afghanistan
-President Alvi terms Pakistan-Turkey relations a force of peace, stability in region, beyond -Confers Pakistan’s civil award upon two Turkish dignitaries
DM Monitoring
ISTANBUL: Pakistan has a vital duty to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, where conflicts have intensified recently, the Turkish president said on Sunday.
“As Turkey, we are facing a wave of Afghan migrants through Iran,” said Erdogan speaking alongside his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi at a ship launching ceremony of the Pakistan MILGEM Corvette Project in Istanbul on Sunday.
Erdogan added that his country would continue to put every effort to help bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region. “To achieve this, we need to boost cooperation with Pakistan.”
“Pakistan with a population of 2 billion plays a critical role in efforts to establish peace and increase prosperity in South Asia,” he added.
Erdogan said Turkey will work with Pakistan to help stabilise Afghanistan and prevent a new flood of refugees. “We will continue efforts to enable the return of stability in the region, beginning with Afghanistan,” Erdogan said. “To do that, we have to pursue and strengthen our cooperation with Pakistan.” “We are determined to mobilise all the means at our disposal to succeed,” the Turkish leader said. The comments came with the Taliban poised to take power on the outskirts of Kabul. The Taliban resurgence comes after NATO troops withdrew following a decision by US President Joe Biden to pull out.
President Alvi was in Istanbul for the launch of a naval vessel built by Turkey for the south Asian nation that borders Afghanistan and is a key regional player. Turkey has several hundred soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and has offered to take charge of security at Kabul’s international airport after the US completes its military withdrawal by the end of August, provided financial and logistical support are forthcoming. Erdogan has also proposed to meet the Taliban leader for talks. The arrival of Afghan migrants on Turkey’s eastern border has become a hot political topic in Ankara, with the opposition pressing the government to take strong measures to stop the influx. The government has responded by stepping up construction of a border wall with Iran in recent days. “With this wall, we will totally stop the arrivals,” Erdogan said Sunday.
Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi Sunday said that the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey was a force for regional peace and stability with their exemplary support towards peaceful co-existence and cooperative multilateralism.
The president said the people and the government of Pakistan would continue to stand by Turkey for achievement the shared goals of peace and prosperity. He said Pakistan and Turkey were faced by common challenges and threats and both the countries had deepened the security cooperation. The president particularly congratulated the Turkish defence ministry for making great progress under the leadership of President Erdogan, defying all odds and challenges to change the destiny of Turkey.
He said Pakistan was one of the biggest markets of Turkish defence products. He said the collaboration for construction of Milgem Class Corvettes would not only enhance the capability of Pakistan Navy rather it was great moment to further cement the bilateral ties.
He also appreciated the role of all stakeholders for timely achieving the major milestone despite COVID-19 challenges. The president told the audience that in current world affairs, the morality was taking second position to vested interests, but he believed that a new world era was emerging where the morality would lead the nations. And that is where the role of Pakistan and Turkey becomes important, he remarked. President Alvi said under the agreement, four Milgem corvettes would be constructed with first and third in Turkey and second and fourth in Pakistan. He said the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey was not merely between the two governments rather the nations.
President Alvi said that the fake news phenomenon was not new rather it was an old issue. He said in the current world, the knowledge was not free rather it flows as per the vested interests. However, he said as per the Islamic traditions, the flow of knowledge should be free for benefit of all. He also thanked the Turkish president for inviting him to attend the inauguration ceremony. Separately, President Dr. Arif Alvi Sunday conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s civil award, upon two Turkish dignitaries, Dr. Selami Kilic and Prof. Dr. Celal Soydan at a special investiture ceremony held here.
The president conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz upon Dr. Selami Kilic for his services to Pakistan. Dr. Selami participated in the relief activities after 2005 devastating earthquake in Pakistan. After the 2010 floods in Pakistan, Dr. Selami Kilic helped establish a field hospital in Dera Murad Jamali and carried out damage and needs assessment surveys in various areas of Sindh and Baluchistan. He was also at the forefront of the initiative to establish the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital at Muzaffargarh. Dr. Selami is currently working as the head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Turkish Ministry of Health.
He received his medical education from Quaid-e-Azam Medical College Bahawalpur. His deep love and regard for Pakistan has always remained a distinguishing feature of his professional career. The president also conferred the award of Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam upon Prof. Dr. Celal Soydan, in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the field of Services to Pakistan. Prof. Dr. Celal Soydan, currently head of Urdu Department in Istanbul University, has made remarkable contribution for the promotion of Urdu language and literature in Turkey in his career spanning three decades. Prof. Celal Soyadan has written 20 books and published over two dozen articles and papers in Urdu and Turkish in various national and international journals. Due to his efforts, the study of Iqbaliat in Turkey has been further enriched.
Both his PhD ad M.A. thesis were on Iqbal. He has translated into Turkish language the classical works of Allama Iqbal such as Armughan-e-Hijaz, Zarb-e-Kaleem, Bal-e-Jebreel, Bang-e-Dara, the Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, etc. He had played a prominent role in highlighting the special place that Iqbal had in his heart for Turkey, its people and its luminaries. Later in the day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday. The two leaders reviewed the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister conveyed that Pakistan was extending facilitation in the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organizations and others in Kabul, as requested.
