Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received this morning at the Prime Minister Office the President of the Republic of Türkiye H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had arrived on an official visit the night before.
Upon arrival at the Prime Minister House, the Turkish President was welcomed warmly by the Prime Minister. He inspected the Guard of Honour, witnessed a fly past of PAF fighter jets, and planted a tree in the lawns of the Prime Minister’s House.
The two leaders had a bilateral meeting in which they had an in-depth exchange of views on various bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. They expressed satisfaction on the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Türkiye bilateral relations and reaffirmed their resolve to transform these relations into a mutually beneficial strategic partnership.
This was followed by the 7th Session of the Pakistan-Türkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), co-chaired by both leaders. In the HLSCC, the respective Ministers of both sides presented the progress reports of the nine Joint Standing Committees covering various areas of cooperation. Two new Joint Standing Committees on Health and IT also presented their reports.
The Chief of Army Staff, General Syed Asim Munir also participated in the meeting between the Pakistani and Turkish leaders, as well as the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC).
The Prime Minister emphasized upon the need to deepen bilateral economic cooperation between the two brotherly countries through result-oriented actions, enhanced business interactions, and facilitating bilateral investments. He invited Turkish companies to take benefit of this immense potential offered by Pakistan’s economic, trade and investment landscape and explore mutually advantageous collaboration in the fields of agriculture, new and emerging technologies, energy, and mining, among others.
The Prime Minister also thanked President Erdogan for his strong, consistent and principled stance on Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast support to Turkiye on core issues of its national interest.
Both leaders also discussed recent developments in the Middle East during the course of which they expressed unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people. The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s call for a two-state solution that envisages the creation of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine with pre-1967 borders and with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN and OIC.
In addition to signing the Joint Declaration, the two leaders also witnessed exchange of 24 MoUs, Protocols and Agreements in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation. They also unveiled a plaque for naming a main interchange in Islamabad in honour of the Turkish President.
Pakistan and Türkiye enjoy historically warm and excellent fraternal ties. President Erdogan’s historic visit and the holding of the 7th Session of the HLSCC would provide further impetus to the brotherly relations between the two countries.
