Pakistan, Turkey set sights on $5b trade
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Turkey on Thursday agreed to deepen their bilateral ties, setting a $5 billion target for bilateral trade as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced President Trump's Gaza takeover plan.
Erdogan, leading a high-powered delegation on the last leg of his three-nation tour, held a series of meetings in Islamabad. The two sides held formal talks at the Prime Minister House and Erdogan and Shehbaz co-chaired the High-level Strategic Cooperation Council.
They also attended a Pakistan-Turkey Business form. The Turkish President separately also met his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari.
During talks, the two sides reviewed bilateral ties particularly trade relationship, defense cooperation and discussed key regional and international issues.
"With Mr Prime Minister, we agree to increase our efforts to reach the target of $5 billion in trade volume," the Turkish President said during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Shehbaz.
Erdogan underscored the importance of private-sector collaboration, encouraging Turkish investors to expand their activities in Pakistan.
"(Through Türkiye-Pakistan Business Forum) We encourage our investors, who are the driving engine of economic cooperation, to engage in more activities in Pakistan," he said.
As part of the high-level talks, 24 agreements were signed to strengthen cooperation in various sectors.
Erdogan expressed gratitude for Pakistan's strong support in Türkiye's fight against terrorism.
"We reiterate our support for Pakistan in its fight against terror in all its kinds and forms. We feel Pakistan's strong support in our fight against all forms of terrorism, including PKK, YPG, DAESH, and FETO."
Erdogan described Türkiye and Pakistan as two great countries tied by unshakable bonds, emphasising the deep-rooted relationship between the two nations.
The Turkish president also acknowledged Pakistan's continued support for the rights of Turkish Cypriots, calling it highly meaningful.
Erdogan also reiterated Türkiye's firm stance on Palestine, saying that they will continue to fight with patience for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
"We believe that we need to strengthen our resolute stance in a period when there are unlawful and unethical proposals to uproot our Gazan brothers and sisters from their homeland," he added.
"Gaza belongs to our Gazan brothers and sisters and will remain so forever," he said in a televised speech at a business forum in the capital, Islamabad. Erdogan arrived on a two-day visit on Wednesday night.
"The homeland for which the Palestinians have sacrificed tens of thousands of their children is not up for bargaining," he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Türkiye's economic progress and its leadership in advocating for Muslim nations.
He said Türkiye is currently one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and that the country has always stood up for the rights of Muslim nations, especially the oppressed. He added that the Muslim world listens to Türkiye closely and attentively.
Sharif further emphasised the unique bond between the two nations, calling it an unparalleled relationship based on shared history and values.
Meanwhile, a joint statement issued after the talks described the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey as 'Two Souls, One Heart' as the foundation of bilateral relations between the two countries.
The HLSCC is the main political forum that guides bilateral relations in all fields.
According to the joint statement, the Joint Working Groups of the HLSCC will be named as "Joint Standing Committees" (JSC) henceforth to better reflect their permanent nature.
Three new JSCs, namely "Security, Defence, and Intelligence JSC", "Health JSC" and "Science and Technology JSC", have been established under the HLSCC mechanism.
The two sides underscore the need for resolution of all outstanding disputes between Pakistan and India, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiris. In this regard, Pakistan expresses its deep appreciation for Türkiye's principled stance on the issue.
The two countries reiterate full and resolute support for the efforts towards the just, lasting, and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus issue. Pakistan reaffirms its support to the Turkish Cypriots and to Türkiye in this regard. Türkiye expresses its deep appreciation for Pakistan's principled stance on the issue.
Both countries reiterate their support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and for advancement of international efforts aimed at building a more sustainable future for the Afghan people through continued, coordinated and coherent engagement with the interim Afghan authorities including on countering terrorism.
In this regard, they underlined the importance of inclusive governance, and respect for fundamental rights, particularly of girls and women in Afghanistan. The two sides also stressed the need for sustaining humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
They further underscored that Afghanistan should not become a safe haven for terrorist groups. All necessary measures to counter terrorism need to be taken by interim Afghan authorities including against TTP and DAESH, which remain listed under the 1267 UNSC sanctions regime.
Both sides underscore the need for strengthening multilateralism, including through universal and consistent adherence to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter to address the existing and emerging international challenges, in an effective and credible manner.
The two sides emphasized that the United Nations Security Council needs to be made more representative, democratic, transparent, and accountable through a comprehensive United Nations Security Council reform process, based on widest possible consensus. In addition, they underlined the need for the implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions to resolve the long-standing disputes on the agenda of the Security Council, especially those pertaining to the Muslim Ummah.
The two sides expressed their grave concern at the unprecedented loss of lives and property as well as displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians as a result of indiscriminate use of force by Israel. Welcoming the Gaza ceasefire, they expressed hope that the truce would lead to a permanent and durable ceasefire.
They urged the need for scaling up of humanitarian assistance, including through continued and unobstructed operation of UNRWA, return of all displaced Palestinians to their homes, as well as concerted international efforts for the early reconstruction of Gaza. They underscored that any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land as well as to continue illegal settlements constitute blatant violation of international law.
Both sides urged the need to find a just and comprehensive solution for the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
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