Pak, Turkey ink 13 agreements to boost bilateral ties

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that the trade ties between Pakistan and Turkey had a entered a new era as the two countries signed 13 agreements including a joint declaration on strategic economic framework to promote their multi-faceted relationship.

The agreements were signed on the second and final day of the two-day visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Pakistan.

The State-run Pakistan Television (PTV) reported that the agreements were about cooperation in the fields of tourism and culture, food security, postal services, railways, military training, trade, transport and infrastructure and information technology.

An agreement was also signed for cooperation between the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and PTV and Radio Pakistan.

President Erdogan and Prime Minister Khan also signed two documents, including the declaration of strategic economic framework and the joint declaration.

Later, addressing a joint press conference, President Erdogan said that the two sides were committed to deepen economic ties.

"In the last meeting in Ankara, we had agreed to bring the level of our foreign trade volume to USD 5 billion by 2023. The strategic economic framework and its next action plan is almost ready... It is the roadmap for how we can deepen our economic relations," he said.

Erdogan offered to assist Pakistan in areas of transportation, energy, tourism, health care, education and law enforcement. He said the two countries also enjoyed good defence ties.

Prime minister Khan thanked Turkey for its support on various issues, especially on Kashmir. He also said that Turkey was supportive of Pakistan on the issue of its efforts to come out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force.

Khan said the trade relationship between the two nations entered a new era with the signing of MoUs for strategic economic cooperation.

He also supported Turkey on its concerns over the threat of terrorism coming from Syria.

Separately, Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar called on Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed "matters of mutual interest, regional security and measures to further enhance bilateral defence collaboration were discussed," according to a statement by the Pakistan Army.

"The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan's contributions for conflict prevention in the region and for standing by Turkey and pledged the same for Pakistan," the statement said.