CAIRO: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Pakistan on the sidelines of the D-8 summit in Cairo and also met with Iranian President Masoud Peshmerga.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, and said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoy historic, brotherly and multifaceted relations.
He appreciated Turkey’s exemplary development under President Erdogan’s leadership and stressed that the two countries should increase economic cooperation in new areas of domestic investment and joint projects, especially in IT, agriculture and green technology.
According to the statement, the two leaders discussed further strengthening bilateral relations. Both leaders emphasized the need to further promote economic relations to achieve the bilateral trade target of $5 billion between Turkey and Pakistan.
During the meeting, the two leaders agreed to continue working together to further enhance economic, trade and defense cooperation and also reiterated their commitment to support each other on core issues of national interest, including Turkey’s support for occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s support for Turkey’s stance on the Cyprus issue.
Condemning the Israeli genocidal actions against innocent Palestinians, especially the deteriorating situation since October 7, 2023, the two leaders reiterated their unwavering support for the Palestinian people.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Erdogan also discussed the situation in the Middle East and Syria.
On this occasion, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that Pakistan-Turkey relations are based on ancient cultural and religious values and the Turkish people hold a special place in their hearts for Pakistan.
He expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between the two countries in various fields and also stressed the need to work together to promote regional peace and stability.
President Erdogan appreciated the significant improvement in Pakistan’s economy under the leadership of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and commended Pakistan for sending substantial humanitarian aid to Palestine and Lebanon.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif renewed his invitation to President Erdogan to visit Pakistan soon to co-chair the seventh meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar were also present at the meeting between the two leaders.
