Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his firm resolve to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Turkiye in all areas of mutual interest including political, energy, economic, defence and investment.
He made the remarks during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ashgabat today on the sidelines of the International Forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust.
Identifying energy, petroleum and minerals as priority sectors, the Prime Minister welcomed Turkish interest and investments in these areas. He urged the two sides to ensure the timely implementation of the recently signed MOUs/agreements in these critical sectors.
Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan sought to benefit from Turkish expertise in the privatization of distribution companies. In this regard, it was decided that Ministerial level exchanges between the two countries would take place very soon.
The Prime Minister underscored the importance of regional connectivity as manifested by the revival of the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul rail network.
Both the leaders also exchanged views on regional as well as global developments.
Shehbaz Sharif appreciated President Erdogan’s bold leadership and strong commitment to peace efforts in Gaza.
He also thanked Turkiye for its constructive role in facilitating talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime but stressed that peace would only be possible if Pakistan’s security concerns were fully addressed.
The Turkish President expressed his desire to work together with a view to build stronger ties between the two countries.
