ISLAMABAD, FEB 13 (APP/DNA):President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday was given a guard of honour at the Prime Minister’s House as he arrived to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Prime Minister Shehbaz warmly welcomed President Erdogan at the main entrance of the PM House.
As President Erdogan’s motorcade made its way along Constitution Avenue, it was greeted by a vibrant display of flags of Pakistan and Turkiye, as well as welcoming banners.
The local artists dressed in traditional attires performed lively folk dances along the roadside. A group of men, wearing white cloaks and tall conical hats performed the symbolic dance of whirling dervishes, popular in Turkish culture.
At the formal welcome reception at PM House, the national anthems of Pakistan and Turkiye were played as the dignitary stood at the salute dias.
The smartly turned-out contingents of the armed forces presented a guard of honour to President Erdogan which he reviewed.
Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Erdogan introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding to the bilateral meeting.
The Turkish president also planted a pine tree sapling in the lawns of the PM House to mark the deep-rooted friendship between the two nations.
A squadron of Pakistan Air Force jets performed a magnificent flypast to welcome the Turkish president. Chief of the Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir was also present on the occasion.
Later, in the day, both leaders will lead their respective delegations at the meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council to discuss bilateral cooperation in multiple fields.
As President Erdogan, along with First Lady Emine Erdogan and a high-level delegation, landed at Nur Khan Airbase on Wednesday night, he was warmly welcomed President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, other cabinet members.
The PAF jets also escorted President Erdogan’s special aircraft as it entered Pakistan’s airspace.
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