Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Ankara on a three-day official tour to Turkey where he discussed enhancing Pak-Turkish relations and bilateral trade. Whenever such state-level visits take place, the regional situation and global issues are always discussed. Some of it reaches the media but others are often skipped by both sides.
Turkey’s importance is gradually increasing in the global scenario as it is in close contact with Russia and other countries to defuse the Ukraine crisis. Turkey has also raised its importance by mediating between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Turkey also acted as a mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and now appears to be very active on serious issues such as the military operation between Russia and Ukraine.
Moreover, after a gap of ten years, Turkey has also restored its relations with Israel. Turkey was the first Muslim country to recognize Israel, but under current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule, Turkish-Israeli relations have continued to fluctuate.
Turkey has a prominent place among our friendly countries.
On one occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the enemy of Turkey is an enemy of Pakistan and our defence is united. When Shehbaz Sharif was Chief Minister Punjab, I was serving as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Shehbaz Sharif used to visit Turkey via UAE. He stayed in the emirates for about three hours and I had the opportunity to brief him.
Shahbaz Sharif visited Turkey and brought many projects which benefited Punjab. The province received heavy investment from Turkey. Now Shehbaz Sharif’s first visit to Turkey as prime minister is significant. Our free trade agreement with Turkey is long overdue and no progress has been made in the last three years. In 2020, Pakistan exported $394 million of goods to Turkey while it exported $630 million. There is a huge potential to enhance trade for billions of dollars.
Our brotherly nation is a member of the Customs Union. The agreement was signed in 1963 and it reached its final stage in 1996. Membership of the Customs Union means that if there are any exports to Turkey, they can also go to the European Union countries. This will be of great benefit to Pakistan.
I have observed in the course of my duties as ambassador that the people of Turkey have a special soft corner in their hearts for Pakistanis. People in both countries should hope that the stopped train for transportation will also be revived. We can also hope that the bilateral cooperation will be reactivated to a higher strategic level.
The personal relations between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Erdogan will lead to an increase in bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey. Both countries are important in the global geopolitical scenario. Pakistan is a nuclear power and our defence is in the strong hands of the Pakistan Army. While Turkey is a member of NATO, the two countries could also emerge as a powerful Islamic force as members of the OIC, which the international community is watching with keen interest.
Translated by: MM News Editorial Team
