President stresses close Pak-Turk in fighting terrorism

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain has stressed close cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey to jointly combat terrorism for peace and stability in the two countries and the region.

The president stated this Tuesday in a meeting with a Turkish parliamentary delegation led by Ismail Kahraman, speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT), at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The president expressed condolences over the loss of many lives in the recent terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities and assured that Pakistan stood with Turkey and was ready to assist her in any way possible. He condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and said terrorists had no religion.

He said the misguided elements involved in terrorism were tarnishing the image of Islam, adding that Islam is a religion of peace.He said the current level of trade between the two countries did not commensurate with the actual potential and called for sustained efforts to raise the volume of trade.

He said the process for free trade agreement between the two countries needed to be expedited to bolster bilateral trade.He expressed satisfaction at the defence cooperation between the two countries and noted with appreciation that the training facilities in both the countries were being utilised by defence personnel of the two brotherly countries.

The president thanked Turkey for providing trainer aircraft to Pakistan Air Force and expressed his optimism that collaboration between the two countries in the defence sector would further grow.

The president paid tributes to the leadership of president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for transforming Turkey into a prosperous and developed country during the last decade.

The president said Pakistan also faced similar challenges during the last 15 years but under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the country was now on the road to progress and prosperity.

The speaker of Grand National Assembly of Turkey Ismail Kahraman said Pakistan and Turkey were facing the common problem of terrorism and hoped that with mutual cooperation, the two countries would soon get rid of this menace and expressed his sympathies for the victims of terrorism in Pakistan.

He praised Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan and hoped that the peace initiative would achieve success.He expressed his country’s support for the people of Kashmir and called for unity of Muslims to overcome their problems.

According to another report, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said Pakistan and Turkey are committed to an enduring partnership to cope with regional challenges.He highlighted that Turkey shines prominently in Pakistan’s strategic calculations, adding that a robust partnership is inevitable given the shared perspectives on democracy, geo-politics development and trade.

He was speaking to Ismail Kahraman, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, who called on him at the Parliament House Tuesday. The National Assembly speaker condemned recent terrorist attacks in Ankara and Istanbul and expressed solidarity with the bereaved families.