Shehbaz says $5b bilateral trade volume target very much achievable n Meets world leaders in Ankara, discusses bilateral ties, cooperation n Pens down special message for President Erdogan before concluding his two-day visit.
ANKARA/ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that the target of increasing bilateral trade volume between Pakistan and Turkiye to $5 billion annually over the next three years was very much achievable.
He also said that Pakistan sees high volume of bilateral trade between the two brotherly countries in future. The prime minister concluded his two-day visit to Turkiye, where he attended the inauguration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who had been re-elected for the third term in office. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister said that in his meetings with heads of leading Turkish business groups the other day, he highlighted the need for investment and trade in the fields of agriculture, energy, information technology and construction.
Exciting opportunities had emerged for collaboration especially after the historic Trade-in-Goods Agreement between Pakistan & Turkiye became operational on May 31 this year, he added. “Was glad to find the discernible interest of the Turkish business community in building on the existing partnerships & establishing new ventures,” the prime minister further noted in his tweet. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged pleasantries during their interaction marked by interesting remarks on the inauguration ceremony of the latter yesterday.
President Erdogan’s spouse also joined the interaction. They appreciated Pakistani mangoes.
The prime minister conveyed felicitation to the president on his re-election and said that the Pakistani nation was overjoyed at his success.
He also thanked him for extending an invitation to attend the ceremony and share their joys, said PM Office Media Wing in a press release.
The prime minister, on the occasion, expressed best wishes to the president. He informed President Erdogan and Emine Erdogan about the gift of Pakistani mangoes which brought smiles to their faces.
President Erdogan reciprocated by saying that he was aware of the sweetness and delicacy of Pakistani mangoes. Both the president and his spouse thanked the prime minister for his participation. The prime minister also interacted with different world leaders and discussed the bilateral ties and cooperation between Pakistan and their respective countries. He met former deputy prime minister of Turkiye and Chairman MHP Devlet Bahceli and conveyed his felicitation over success in the elections. On the occasion, he also met with Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu. Both the leaders reiterated their desire to promote bilateral relations and cooperation in different fields. The prime minister also interacted with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber. The prime minister referred to the establishment of market at the Balochistan-Sistan border and his recent meeting with the Iranian president. Welcoming the commencement of barter trade between the two countries, the prime minister expressed the confidence that it would mutually benefit the people of both the brotherly countries. In his meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the two leaders discussed regional cooperation, connectivity and further strengthening of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields. The prime minister also held meetings with various delegations of business and trade companies and entities of Turkiye and discussed prospects of vast business and investment potential that existed between the two brotherly countries in various sectors. His visit was a reaffirmation of the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye. The prime minister conveyed warm felicitations on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan to President Erdogan on his re-election as President of Turkiye on May 28. “Pakistan-Turkiye relationship is deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history, and strengthened by mutual trust and convergence of views on regional and global matters. Frequent leadership level exchanges are a defining feature of the eternal bonds of friendship between the two countries,” Foreign Office Spokesperson in the earlier statement had said. During the visit, the prime minister penned down his felicitation message along with his signatures on a special board set up on the inauguration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the third time in office