Islamabad:
Pakistan and Turkiye have sought to deepen their cooperation in defense in the middle of regional instability as two parties, in levels of level here on Wednesday, is committed to increasing bilateral trade to $ 5 billion.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fida Hakan, and Defense Minister Yasar Guter, who arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday evening, held a series of meetings with Pakistani civil and military leaders.
Turkiye became a fervent supporter of Pakistan following a recent conflict with India. The presence of foreign Turkish and defense ministers in Islamabad highlighted in -depth cooperation and increased high -level exchanges between the two countries.
While the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan, who was also joined by the Minister of Defense, GULLER, had official interviews with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq DAR at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s office, where Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the national security advisor and other senior officials were also present.
The presence of senior civil and military leaders in Pakistan stressed the importance of close ties with Turkey.
Welcoming the Turkish delegation, according to an official document, the Prime Minister underlined the long -standing fraternal links between Pakistan and Turkiye, saying that relations remain deeply rooted in shared history, culture and mutual respect.
He expressed his satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations and reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of Pakistan to further strengthen cooperation with Turkiye in various fields, including trade, investment, technology and defense.
Recalling his interactions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the year, including the last meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the 17th ECO summit, Shehbaz reaffirmed the firmness of Pakistan resolves to transform the links of Pak-Turkiye in a strategic partnership in the coming days.
Welcome to the concession of the meeting of the mixed commission, co -sponsored by Dar and Fidan, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that bilateral relations between the two countries would take additional momentum, leading to a strengthening of cooperation in multifaceted areas.
While reiterating the commitment of the two countries to continue their solid and unshakable support for the fundamental interests of the other, the Prime Minister underlined the need for closer coordination between the two parties in the middle of the rapid regional and global environment, in particular in the context of Gaza and Iran.
He again expressed his deepest gratitude to the Turkish nation and its leaders for their unshakable support in Pakistan during the recent Indian assault.
The Prime Minister underlined the need for concerted efforts of both parties to improve bilateral trade with the mutually agreed target of $ 5 billion. Stressing the user -friendly Pakistan investor policies, he invited Turkish companies to extend their investment footprint in Pakistan and invited the Turkish team to share its expertise to help Pakistan’s structural reforms, economic growth and development efforts.
Meanwhile, at a joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs DAR, Fidan underlined the in progress efforts to increase the volume of bilateral trade to $ 5 billion. He noted that the two countries evaluated cooperation mechanisms in sectors such as mining, natural gas, oil and rare earth elements.
“In this context, the agreement signed in April between Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and national oil companies in Pakistan represents a very important step,” said Fidan. “This is one of the results of the most institutionalized approach we work to establish,” he added.
Dar said that Islamabad and Ankara have agreed to strengthen cooperation in a series of fields, including the economy, the defense industry, energy and infrastructure. Assessing Turkish Defense industry, Dar said ISLAMABAD wanted to further strengthen its current strategic and defense cooperation and the promotion of peace and stability in the region.
The two parties are “actively” engaged in various activities, including capacity building in counter-terrorism, said DAR. Turkish companies will also participate in the privatization of distribution companies in the electricity sector, he added.
The two parties continued DAR, continued to create a special economic area dedicated to Turkish entrepreneurs in Karachi and Istanbul. “We actively follow to benefit from the Turkish experience and expertise in collapse and storage and effective use of agricultural water,” said DAR.
He said that Islamabad and Ankara have agreed to relaunch the joint ministerial commission long -standing length after an interruption of 11 years, which will be co -painted by the Minister of Commerce of Pakistan, Jam Kamal and the Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guller. “All this work will throw a solid base for the eighth high-level strategic cooperation council”, which will be held next year in Turkiye, he added.
In a separate commitment, the Turkish Defense Minister, Guller, met the marshal of the air chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu at the air seat to assess the state of bilateral defense cooperation and discuss emerging regional threats.
According to inter-service public relations (ISPR), the two parties have agreed to set up joint working groups to deepen collaboration in aerospace technologies, advanced training and new areas of war.
Guller praised the operational preparation of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), in particular during its recent conflict with India, and expressed its interest in expanding industry partnerships to industry.
He also highlighted the importance of joint ventures in disruptive technologies, including unmanned air systems, advanced advances in advances and pilot exchange. The two parties have undertaken to improve joint air exercises and to finalize the plans for more intensive training cooperation.
The ISPR said that the meeting reflected “the shared commitment of the two fraternal nations to improve strategic cooperation, solidify the defense ties and promote lasting institutional links between the armed forces of Pakistan and Turkiye”.
