Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the signing of 24 agreements to boost bilateral relations.
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| President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sign a joint statement on the 7th meeting of the Türkiye-Pakistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad. (Source: Pakistan Prime Minister's Office) |
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Islamabad early this morning, February 13, to co-chair the 7th meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), a mechanism established in 2009 and the last meeting held in Islamabad in 2020.
Speaking after the meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed, "we agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations."
During the two-day visit, Türkiye and Pakistan "signed a total of 24 agreements and memorandums of understanding in the fields of trade, water resources, agriculture, energy, culture, family and social services along with science, banking, education, defense and health."
In particular, Ankara and Islamabad “agreed to aim for a trade turnover of $5 billion.” Therefore, the two sides “are expanding the goods trade agreement in the first phase.”
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| The two leaders witnessed the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement. (Source: Office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan) |
Among the 24 newly signed agreements are four memorandums of understanding on defense cooperation, a key pillar in Türkiye-Pakistan relations. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 2023 report stated that Ankara is Islamabad's second largest arms supplier (accounting for 11% of total arms imports). The two sides are jointly implementing projects such as the Milgem warship, aircraft modernization and the purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
At the Pakistan-Turkey Business and Investment Forum held on the same day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan interacted with investors and top business leaders from both countries and called for enhanced cooperation in key economic sectors.
This is the Turkish leader's first visit to the South Asian country since 2019.
Pakistan, which has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months, has deployed extra police and paramilitary forces to provide security for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his large delegation of ministers and business leaders.
The visit came hours after the US Embassy issued a travel advisory, citing threats by the Pakistani Taliban against the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad and asking its citizens to avoid visiting the mosque and surrounding areas until further notice.
Pakistan is the final stop on Erdogan's three-nation tour, which also includes Malaysia and Indonesia.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-thong-tho-nhi-ky-boi-thu-o-pakistan-304234.html
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