Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Babur Hizlan said on Saturday that the issue of Karkey Power Plant should be settled as soon as possible because prolonging the matter would have a negative impact on the Turkish investors in Pakistan. Expressing his concern for resolving the matter, the ambassador said that the ship is the largest investment of Turkey in Pakistan and carries state-of-the-art devices which are likely to be damaged with the passage of time. Addressing the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Saturday, the Turkish Ambassador said that the love between Pakistani and the Turkish people is exemplary and it is high time to transform these brotherly relations into bilateral economic and commercial ties. He underscored the importance of strengthening rail and air connectivity in order to further boost cooperation between the two countries. President ICCI Zafar Bakhtawari said that during the floods and the earthquakes, the Turkish government and its people have stood hand in hand with their Pakistani brothers. ICCI President said that the annual bilateral trade of $1.8 billion between Turkey and Pakistan should be increased up to $3 billion for the economic prosperity of the two countries. “Turkey, being the gateway to Europe, and Pakistan, being a gateway to Central and South Asia, are very important countries for their respective regions,” he said. He said that the dream having of railway track between Pakistan and Turkey via Iran should also be materialized as it would create a strong bond between the people of both the countries.
Turkish Ambassador's apprehensions on the issue of Karkey Power plant are Guinean, because fault lies with us, not with Turkish.It is also true that prolonging this issue will convey wrong message to the prospecting investors of Turkey in Pakistan, hindering the prospects of trade and investment between these countries, which is already too meagre to boast of between two brotherly countries. Decades old issue of connecting Turkey, Iran, Pakistan through railways must also be taken up on priority basis.
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