PM Shehbaz to leave for Turkey tomorrow on 3-day visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be leaving for Turkey tomorrow (Tuesday) on a three-day visit, during which he will hold meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders, a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) said.

This will be the Prime Minister’s first visit to Turkey since assuming office. PM Shehbaz will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Ministers, SAPMs, and senior officials.

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A business delegation from Pakistan comprising representatives of leading companies across various sectors will travel separately to Turkey to participate in the business engagements.

"During the visit, the Prime Minister will have a tete-a-tete with President Erdoğan. This would be followed by delegation-level talks," the statement added.

Besides covering the entire gamut of Pakistan-Turkey bilateral relations, the two leaders will exchange views on regional and international issues. Both leaders will address a Joint Press Stakeout after their meetings. President Erdoğan will host a dinner in honour of the Prime Minister.

This year, Pakistan and Turkey are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

During the visit, the premier and the President of Turkey would jointly unveil a logo, marking the commencement of celebrations of this important milestone in the long history of exceptional bilateral ties.

The Turkish Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Health would call on the Prime Minister during the visit.

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The Prime Minister will have extensive interaction with leading Turkish businessmen and potential investors from diverse sectors. He will be hosted by the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).

The Prime Minister will also attend a Pakistan-Turkey Business Council Forum, hosted in collaboration with DEIK (Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board).

"During these events, the Prime Minister will highlight Pakistan’s vast investment potential and encourage Turkish companies to invest in Pakistan and work to strengthen Pakistan-Turkey trade and economic ties. Prominent businessmen from Pakistan will participate in these events and will also hold B2B meetings on the sidelines," according to the FO.

The statement said that besides being part of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries, the Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey is important in the context of deepening and broadening bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, regional connectivity, health, education, culture, and people-to-people relations.

"It will help in further strengthening the leadership dialogue and existing multi-dimensional strategic relationship between the two countries and will impart fresh impetus to the efforts to take this unique partnership to new heights," the statement said.

Meanwhile, in a meeting held on May 27, the premier gave two days to concerned Ministries and the Punjab government to sort out issues facing Turkish companies in Pakistan, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.

The meeting constituted a committee headed by the Minister for BoI and comprising Chief Secretary Punjab, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Chairman LWMC, Chairman P&D Punjab Secretary Local Government and a representative of the Auditor General of Pakistan to meet at Lahore on Sunday (May 28, 2022) to fast track amicable resolution of the pending dispute with M/s OzPak in view of the observation of Public Accounts Committee of Punjab Assembly.

During the meeting, it was also decided that the concerned Divisions will hold meetings with Turkish companies to address their concerns and issues.