Nawaz wants more from Turkey

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has invited the Turkish businessmen to invest in energy‚ textile and infrastructure building sectors in Pakistan.

While addressing the Pak-Turk Business Forum in Lahore on Monday night‚ Nawaz said his government would ensure full protection and support for the Turkish investment.

He asked Turkish entrepreneurs to explore the possibilities of investment in the energy sector in Pakistan which had wide-ranging potential in thermal‚ hydel and alternative sources.

Nawaz said Pakistan had also embarked upon an ambitious programme of infrastructure development and Turkish cooperation would be welcomed. He said the programme included construction of motorways‚ highways‚ airports and economic corridor linking Pakistan and China.

The Turkish businessmen had expressed their desire to invest in Diamer-Bhasha and Bunji dams‚ Lahore-Karachi motorway and Gaddani Power Park, he added.

He said the Board of Investment of Pakistan was also working with Pak-Turk Business Council in promoting cooperation in textile‚ automobile and communication sectors.

The prime minister said the economic prosperity of people was the top priority of the present government. Nawaz Sharif also recounted the incentives that Pakistan offered to foreign investors including repatriation of the capital‚ profit‚ and tax breaks‚ concessions in custom duties and special economic zones where one window facility was offered.

ERDOGAN EAGER:

On this occasion, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey attaches great importance to its relations with Pakistan. He said Turkey would take benefit of investment opportunities in Pakistan. Erdogan said Turkey wanted to enhance trade volume with Pakistan. “My country is also ready to increase cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan in different fields including agriculture and tourism,” he commented.

As many as three MOUs were signed on the occasion for cooperation between the two countries in different fields.