Turkiye’s President Erdogan to visit Pakistan on Wednesday

President of Turkiye H.E Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be visiting Pakistan on February 12 on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

President Erdogan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers and senior officials, as well as corporate leaders, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a press release issued on Tuesday.

PM Shehbaz and President Erdogan will co-chair the 7th Session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC).

“At the conclusion of the Session, a Joint Declaration and a number of important agreements/MoUs are expected to be signed,” FO said.

Erdogan to visit next week: Pakistan, Turkiye to expand SEF

The ministry added that the two leaders will also address a joint press stakeout.

The HLSCC is the highest level decision-making forum, providing strategic direction to further strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.

There are a number of Joint Standing Committees(JSCs) under the HLSCC, covering sectors including; trade, investment, banking, finance, culture, tourism, energy, defence, agriculture, transport, communication, IT, health, science and technology and education. So far, six sessions of the HLSCC have been held.

The last session was held in Islamabad on 13-14 February 2020.

Meanwhile, President Erdogan will also have bilateral meetings with Prime minister Shehbaz and President Asif Ali Zardari.

The Turkish president will also address the Pakistan-Turkiye Business and Investment Forum alongside the premier.

“The major expected outcome of the visit will be the initiation of negotiations on expansion of the Trade in Goods Agreement, inclusion of investment, digital trade, removal of non-tariff barriers and further tariff concessions which would eventually facilitate trade and investment efforts and enhance trade beyond its current stagnation,” sources earlier told Business Recorder.

With Pakistan, Turkey has shown deep interest to further improve trade relations and taken the stagnation trade of around $ 1.3 billion to $ 5 billion. Eventually, this initiative will increase the trade performance of both sides and may create a win-win situation for both countries, the sources added.

Zardari, Erdogan discuss mutual ties

Meanwhile, President Zardari on Monday held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart during a brief stopover at Istanbul Airport en route to Portugal.

Foreign Minister of Turkiye Hakan Fidan warmly received the president at the airport.

In the meeting, President Zardari and President Erdogan discussed the bilateral ties and the matters of mutual interest besides exchanging courtesies.