ISLAMABAD: PM Nawaz Sharif and Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed their shared vision for developing strong economic and political bonds between the two countries, on Tuesday.
They expressed this desire during a meeting held here. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived here to attend the 13th session of the Economic Cooperation Organisation
(ECO) summit.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the growing strategic partnership marked by deepening of cooperation in diverse fields, a press release said.
They recalled a highly successful visit of the Prime Minister to Turkey last week for participation in the 5th session of High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in which they had signed a comprehensive Joint Declaration and 9 agreements and MoUs for strengthening cooperation in different areas.
In this regard, they reiterated their understanding reached during the HLSCC meeting in Ankara to expedite the negotiations for the conclusion of the Free Trade Area (FTA) by May 2017 to give a boost to bilateral trade and economic interaction.
Prime Minister Sharif welcomed the increasing interest of Turkish companies for investing in Pakistan in a wide range of projects particularly energy, transport and infrastructure. Regarding terrorism as a common threat to regional and global peace, both leaders reiterated firm commitment and resolve to eliminate this scourge and the need for cooperation among states to achieve this objective.
The Prime Minister also appreciated Turkey’s continued support for the struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination.
The two leaders also reviewed significant progress being made in the defence cooperation and collaboration between the two countries.
