Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday agreed to further strengthen “mutually beneficial cooperation” between their countries in various areas, including trade and security, the Foreign Office said.
In a press release issued today, the FO said PM Shehbaz and Erdogan met each other in New York on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
“Both leaders discussed the bilateral matters and agreed to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, defense and security domains,” the statement said.
“They assessed preparations for the upcoming 7th session of the Pakistan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) to be held in Islamabad soon,” it added.
According to the FO, the two leaders also called for an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end of hostilities” as they discussed “regional and global developments, especially the ongoing genocide and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza”.
The prime minister appreciated Turkiye’s “firm and consistent support for the oppressed people” of India-occupied Kashmir.
During the meeting, the FO said, President Erdogan “expressed his admiration for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s economic policies, which have played a crucial role in stabilizing Pakistan’s economy and commended the prime minister for his leadership and commitment to economic reform”.
President Erdogan “took the opportunity to extend his heartfelt birthday wishes” to PM Shehbaz, the statement added.
Meanwhile, in a Post on XPM Shehbaz said he was honored to meet Erdogan, calling him his “dear brother and a great friend of Pakistan”.
“We assured each other of our consistent and continued support on core interests, and also discussed regional developments, especially the situation in Gaza,” the premier said.
“Thank you Mr. President, for your warm wishes on my birthday and your appreciation of our economic reform agenda. I look forward to working with you to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between our two countries,” he added.
Last month, after enforcing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a high-level Turkish business delegation visited Pakistan to explore investment opportunities and remove barriers to increasing bilateral investment.
Trade Minister Dr Omer Bolat had proposed measures to facilitate investment for Turkish companies to enhance investor confidence and recommended increasing flight connectivity between Pakistan and Turkey to support greater economic exchange.
Separately, according to the Associated Press of PakistanPM Shehbaz told the media that the $3bn International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan was in the final stages of approval as Pakistan had accepted all its conditions — some of them quite tough.
