Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Tuesday conferred country's prestigious Jamhuriyat Nishan (Republic Order) on Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, in recognition of his services for furthering "ever-growing" bilateral relations between Pakistan and Turkey.
The Turkish President decorated Prime Minister Gilani with the award at a special investiture ceremony held at the presidential Cankaya Palace followed by talks between the two leaders. The event was attended by senior officials of Turkish government and the visiting ministers from Pakistan. The citation read out mentioned Prime Minister Gilani's contributions to strengthen Pak-Turk relations by taking them to the level of brotherly co-operation in various fields.
President Abdullah Gul said the award reflected brotherhood and affinity between the two countries. The Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in his remarks said it was a great honour for him to receive the 'Jamhuriyat Nishan' from the Turkish President and said the special honour had "overwhelmed" and "touched his heart." Terming the award as a "cherished personal treasure" for him, he said it would always remind him of the exemplary cordial ties between Pakistan and Turkey and the unmatched feelings of brotherhood between the two peoples.
Gilani said the Pak-Turk special relationship predated the establishment of Pakistan and Turkey as modern nations and mentioned that Quaid-e-Azam in a meeting with the first Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan had noted that this deep association had its genesis "right from the very birth of political consciousness amongst the Muslims of the sub-continent". He recalled that Pakistan's first ever-official mission sent abroad was to Turkey, in October 1947.
The Prime Minister said the intensification of bilateral relations with Turkey, would remain a "sacred trust" for Pakistanis and reaffirmed his government's commitment to working closely with the Turkish leadership for the progress and development of the two peoples. Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Petroleum Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir attended the ceremony.
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