Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari held a telephonic conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, the President’s House Press Wing said in a statement.
The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest, with the president stressing the need to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields.
Zardari also expressed his best wishes to the Turkish president and the people and extended an invitation to Erdogan for a visit to Pakistan.
The president also felicitated Erdogan on the upcoming occasion of Eidul Fitr.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Ankara and Islamabad need to work together to achieve the annual target of $5 billion in bilateral trade.
In a meeting with Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci at the prime minister’s office in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz called upon the two sides to enhance their bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest including trade, defence, connectivity and culture, according to an official statement.
Pakistan and Turkiye, he said, have consistently supported each other on core issues and would continue to do so in the future.
Earlier, The Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Road Transport Corridor is poised to revolutionise regional trade, bolstering ties among Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and China through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said the President of the Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI), Moazzam Ghurki, during a high-powered think-tank meeting focused on the tripartite trade relationship between Pakistan, Turkey, and China.
Ghurki underscored that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the BRI projects have breathed new life into these alliances, creating an avenue of opportunities for both Turkey and Pakistan. “Turkey’s exports to China will find a streamlined path through Pakistan, ushering goods efficiently towards Chinese markets,” he announced.
Fang Yulong, the Senior Vice President of PCJCCI, echoed the sentiments, noting that Turkish investments in Pakistan have surpassed a staggering $1 billion. Their strategic partnership spans multifarious sectors including science, technology, defence, tourism, education, and health, as highlighted by the recently signed Strategic Economic Framework agreement.
Hamza Khalid, Vice President of PCJCCI, urged Pakistan to strategically recalibrate its priorities in consonance with its dynamic bilateral equation with Turkey. He called attention to ongoing collaborative initiatives such as the Trans-Afghan Railway project, CASA-1000, and the TAPI gas pipeline that could significantly elevate Pakistan’s connectivity with Western Asia and Europe.
Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General of PCJCCI, highlighted the geopolitical implications of Pakistan’s economic challenges, emphasising that they extend beyond domestic boundaries. The challenge, he said, lies in orchestrating international relations that align with economic objectives without compromising the scope of China’s regional development programme.
