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Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcomed his Turkish counterpart at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Wednesday and discussed a host of bilateral and international issues ahead of the trilateral meeting today between Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan, Radio Pakistan reported.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had arrived in Islamabad last night on a three-day visit, his third to Pakistan in as many years, the FO said.
The foreign ministers discussed a range of issues concerning bilateral relations between the two countries on Wednesday and agreed to pursue a joint strategy at the international level on matters of mutual interests, a statement from the FO said.
Both Qureshi and Cavusoglu also agreed upon prompt implementation of the Pakistan-Turkey Strategic Economic Framework, the statement added.
Qureshi informed Cavusoglu that in an effort to promote bilateral trade, Pakistan had launched an e-visa facility for Turkish businessmen.
The Turkish foreign minister said during the meeting that Pakistan is considered a second home by the people of Turkey and suggested that joint efforts to promote bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries would continue.
A memorandum of understanding between Pakistan and Turkey on promotion of bilateral cooperation in the field of education was also signed between federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and Cavusoglu.
Qureshi also updated his Turkish counterpart on the present situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and thanked Turkey’s firm commitment to supporting Pakistan’s position on the dispute, the FO statement said. The two also discussed international issues such as the rising trend of Islamophobia and agreed on joint efforts to protect Islamic values, according to the FO.
Qureshi said in a statement that he had a positive discussion on bilateral and international issues with his Turkish counterpart. He said Pakistan and Turkey were deeply cooperating in diverse fields, adding that “as people, we share a deep affinity to one another.”
Radio Pakistan also reported that the Turkish foreign minister was conferred with the Hilal-i-Pakistan by President Dr Arif Alvi for his efforts in pursuit of international peace and security and strengthening of Pakistan-Turkey ties in a ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr .
Trilateral meet
The foreign minister of Azerbaijan is also expected in Islamabad today for the second Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan trilateral meeting. The first meeting between the three countries was held held in Baku in 2017.
The foreign ministers will discuss various issues including “new and emerging threats to regional peace and security”, challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. The three sides will also discuss measures that should be taken to achieve development targets, an earlier statement by the FO had said.
Additionally, the three countries will also explore possibilities of deepening trilateral cooperation in all areas of common interest, including peace and security, trade and investment, science and technology, education and cultural cooperation, it added.