PM Shehbaz vows to take Pak-Turk bilateral trade to $5b in next three years

• Premier Shehbaz Sharif says an enemy of Turkey is an enemy of Pakistan.
• PM Shehbaz thanks Turk leadership for supporting Pakistan during earthquake and floods.
• Assures Turk investors they will face no hurdles in future in Pakistan. 

ANKARA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to take Pakistan and Turkey's bilateral trade to $5 billion in the next three years, and urged Turk investors to come to Pakistan while assuring his full support to them.

PM Shehbaz Sharif is currently in Turkey on a maiden three-day official visit. During his visit, PM will have a tete-a-tete with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which will be followed by delegation-level talks.

Besides discussing the Pakistan-Turkey bilateral relations, the two leaders will also exchange views on regional and international issues.

While addressing a dinner reception hosted by Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President Riffat Hisarciklioglu in his honour, PM Shehbaz said, “$1.1 billion trade is nothing, let us resolve to take the two-way trade to $5 billion. Let us do it speedily as time and tide wait for none.”

The premier urged Turkish investors to invest their capital in different sectors of Pakistan and assured them they will face no hurdles in future in Pakistan as they had been facing over the last four years.

PM Shehbaz also said that the government had removed all the impediments to the business sector.

“My investors are my masters, come to Pakistan. We will genuinely roll out the red carpet for them,” he said.

On this occasion, the prime minister also commended the progress and development achieved by Turkey across the globe under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He also thanked the people of Turkey and its leadership for supporting Pakistan during the earthquake and floods in the country, besides showing its unwavering support for the Kashmir cause.

The prime minister also reiterated Pakistan’s stance of support to Turkey on the Cyprus issue.

Referring to the recent launch of the third PN MILGEM corvette for Pakistan Navy PNS BADR, PM Shehbaz also urged to deepen bilateral defence ties and said an “enemy of Turkey is an enemy of Pakistan.”

Speaking about the visa issues faced by the Turk businessmen, the PM Shehbaz assured to work out an option of visa-on-arrival for Turkish investors.

“I guarantee you, the visa will not be an issue, you should come there and get stamped (visa) at the airport,” he added.

FM Bilawal meets Turk counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, meanwhile, who is also in Turkey, met his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and exchanged views on regional issues, including bilateral relations between the two countries, read a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

FM Bilawal was hosted over dinner by his Turk counterpart in Ankara.

FM Bilawal is accompanying PM Shehbaz on his official visit. This was the second meeting of the two foreign ministers in less than a month.

According to the MOFA, the two foreign ministers held an all-encompassing exchange of views on a range of subjects and took stock of the ongoing cooperation in various fields.

The FO statement FM Bilawal thanked his Turkish counterpart for the warm hospitality and said that bilateral relations between the two countries were grounded in the love and affection that the two peoples had for each other.

"The foreign minister underlined that the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) and the Strategic Economic Framework (SEF) continued to serve as useful mechanisms for taking bilateral relations to a higher plane," it said.

During the meeting, the two FMs exchanged views on regional issues, including the Turk government's stand on Kashmir and Afghanistan’s situation.

As per the MOFA, FM Bilawal thanked the Turkish government for its steadfast support and principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

"In Afghanistan, the FM underscored the need for continued engagement between the international community and the interim Afghan government to achieve shared objectives of peace, stability and progress in Afghanistan," it added.

FM Bilawal also appreciated Turkey’s contribution towards peace and security in its immediate neighbourhood and beyond.

The MOFA statement read that FM Bilawal appreciated the constructive role of Turkey in the Ukraine crisis and the personal efforts of the Turkish FM in promoting dialogue and diplomacy.