Erdogan due on November 16

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive tomorrow (Wednesday) on a two-day bilateral visit to Pakistan along with a high-level delegation, Foreign Office said on Monday. According to Nafees Zakaria, the Spokesperson for the Foreign Office, the Turkish President will be visiting Pakistan on November 16-17, 2016 on the invitation of President Mamnoon Hussain. While the Turkish President has been to Pakistan on a number of occasions, he said that this would be his first bilateral visit to Pakistan since assuming office.
He said that President Erdogan will be accompanied by a high-level entourage, including ministers and senior officials as well as a large business delegation. Besides having a meeting with President Mamnoon Hussain, Erdogan would be holding talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The exchange of views between the two leaders would cover the entire range of bilateral matters as well as regional and international issues, he added.
The Turkish President is also scheduled to address the joint session of the Parliament. President Hussain would host a banquet in honour of the distinguished guest and his entourage. President Erdogan will also travel to Lahore, where Prime Minister Sharif will host a banquet in his honour at the Shahi Fort.
"Pakistan and Turkey are bound by an exemplary relationship characterised by warmth, cordiality and mutual trust. There are embedded deep in history, common faith, cultural and linguistic affinities and a sense of common destiny," said Zakaria, adding the frequent exchanges at the leadership and ministerial levels and growing cooperation in diverse fields are the hallmarks of the unique bonds between Pakistan and Turkey.
He said the leadership of both countries is committed to transforming this historic relationship into a strong strategic partnership in line with the realities of the 21st century.
He said that High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council at the leadership level and a host of other bilateral institutional mechanisms provide effective platform for frequent exchange of views. He pointed out that bilateral relations between Pakistan and Turkey have witnessed tremendous growth and dynamism in recent years and both sides are working to give powerful thrust to bilateral trade, investment and commercial cooperation as part of the efforts to build a robust economic partnership.