News
Friday, August 12, 2011
Turkey to help Pakistan alleviate energy crisis* Khar says both countries have agreed to start negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement and decided to explore possibility of doing bilateral trade in local currencies
ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu has assured his Pakistani counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar, that Turkey will extend full cooperation and assistance to Pakistan for finding a solution to the energy crisis.
Addressing a press conference along with Hina, who is on her first-ever visit to Turkey, he said that a number of Turkish investors were negotiating with their Pakistani counterparts investment projects in Pakistan for the progress and prosperity of their brotherly country.
He said both the countries were also working together to ensure peace in the region.
Hina said that Pakistan and Turkey were factors of stability in the region and they were working together to convert the challenges into opportunities for a better future of their people.
Hina said both the sides discussed ways and means to promote bilateral relations and enhance economic activities.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said the discussion focused on converting excellent political goodwill existing between the two countries into more tangible economic projects and framework agreements.
In this respect she said, “We have agreed to start negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and decided to explore the possibility of doing bilateral trade in local
currencies.”
Hina said connectivity projects were extremely important and the foreign ministers looked forward to early realization of Gul Train project with the involvement of the private sector.
“Our trade relations are modest and we believe that through these arrangements we can double and even triple the trade volume in the coming years,” she hoped.
The foreign minister said Pakistan offered immense opportunities for investment in diverse sectors like energy, housing, infrastructure development, textile, dairy and agriculture.
She said she invited Turkish investors to Pakistan to take advantage of the opportunities and liberal investment regime in Pakistan.
Hina said there was great scope to strengthen cultural relations between the two countries by encouraging greater people-to-people contacts, visits of parliamentarians, exchange of students and media men.
“We would like to have institutional arrangements between our higher educational institutions and more expansion in the scholarships scheme,” she said.
She said that the world today was passing through extraordinary times and profound changes were taking place in the region. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk