A 15-member high level Turkish defence delegation headed by General Yasar Guler, Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff, attended the first round of the 10th meeting of Pak-Turkey High Level Military Dialogue Group (HLMDG) on Tuesday. Secretary Defence Lieutenant General Muhammad Alam Khattak (Retd) headed the delegation from Pakistan, said a press release.
General Yasar Guler, in a meeting with the Secretary Defence, reiterated that the two countries enjoyed brotherly ties. The "relationship between the two countries is exemplary and deep rooted," he added. The Secretary Defence also stressed the desire to deepen broaden and strengthen the partnership with Turkey in every field.
After a meeting with Defence Secretary, a high level meeting took place between Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Yasar Guler.
Khawaja Asif conveyed felicitations on appointment of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as new Turkish President. He highlighted the progress in ties during the visit of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to Turkey in April 2014 and a diverse range of 13 memoranda of understanding were signed during the visit. Khawaja Muhammad Asif added that both countries co-operated closely at regional and multinational fora, including UN, OIC, ECO and D-8 and participation of Turkey in trilateral process on Afghanistan was a source of comfort for Pakistan.
After the meeting with the Defence Minister, first round of HLMDG meeting commenced at the Ministry of Defence. The Secretary Defence in his opening remarks informed the renaming of the High Level Co-operation Council (HLCC) as high level Strategic Co-operation Council (HLSCC) which reflects the strategic nature of relationship. He expressed his desire to deepen, broaden and strengthen Pakistan's partnership with Turkey. "We hope that the 10th HLMDG Meeting will further strengthen and express our existing Defence Relations", he added. The session will resume on Wednesday for further briefing and discussions.
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