Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain on Wednesday arrived in Ankara on a four-day official visit to Turkey at the invitation of Bulent Arinc, Speaker of Turkish Grand National Assembly.
He is accompanied by National Assembly members, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Dr Abdul Kadir Khanzada, Bushra Rehman and Professor Aasiya Azeem.
The deputy governor of Ankara received the speaker.
The speakers of the two countries exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and co-operation.
Amir Hussain lauded the democratic traditions of Turkey and said that democracy in Pakistan was fully restored after the October, 2002 elections.
Speaker Bulent Arinc said that they were willing to develop co-operation between the parliaments of the two countries. Turkish nation wished peace, stability and progress for the brotherly Pakistani nation, he added.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later received the visiting Pakistani parliamentary delegation. During the meeting with Turkish Prime Minister, Chaudhry Amir Hussain paid tributes to the close fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkey.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan expressed the wish for widening co-operation in every field between the two countries.
The speaker emphasised that Pakistan was in the forefront of the fight against international terrorism.
Prime Minister Erdogan said that he was pleased to host the speaker of parliament of friendly and brotherly Pakistan.
He said that Turkey attached highest priority to its relations with Pakistan and added that the two countries should establish a joint platform to counter terrorism.
Chaudhry Amir Hussain thanked the Prime Minister for his sincere sympathies expressed for the terrorist attacks on the life of President Pervez Musharraf.
Pakistani parliamentary delegation under the leadership of Speaker, Chaudhry Amir Hussain also met chairman and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Parliament, Mehmet Dulger and Chairman of Turkey-Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Dr Mehdi Eker and members of the group.