Source: Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkey discussed defence co-production and decided to initiate a “strategic dialogue” to boost mutual ties, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday.

He was addressing a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan after a formal meeting. Babacan arrived in Pakistan on Friday on a two-day official visit.

“We should start strategic dialogue at foreign minister level to improve our already warm relations,” Qureshi said. “We also discussed defence co-operation and are thinking of co-production in this sector,” he said.

Qureshi said the two sides discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. “There was complete consensus on every issue. We have a common approach and convergence of views on these issues,” he said.

He said both the countries agreed to enhance economic and trade relations. He said the present bilateral trade of $690 million would be increased to $1 billion in two years.

Turkey and Pakistan wanted a permanent resolution of the Afghan issue, he said, and military means were not the only solution to the problem.

Qureshi acknowledged Turkey’s role in organising a Pakistan-Afghanistan-Turkey tri-partite summit, which he said helped reduce tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Qureshi said the Pakistan-Turkey Joint Working Group (JWG) would meet in May. The meeting was scheduled for January but was postponed because of election in Pakistan. The meeting will be followed by a tri-partite summit.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey would stand by Pakistan in combating the challenges it faced.

“The purpose of my visit is to display solidarity with Pakistan,” he said, adding that political, economic, cultural, and security matters were discussed during his meeting with Qureshi.

He said terrorism was a global problem and that terrorists could belong to any religion. “No country is immune to the threat of terrorism,” he said.

Qureshi said Turkey supported Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir and Pakistan and reiterated its support for Turkish position on Cyprus.

The Turkish foreign minister also called on President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. Later, he visited a Pakistani-Turkish school.

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Tags: Ali Babacan, defence, Musharraf, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, terrorism, Turkey, Zardari