ISLAMABAD: January 13, 2021: President Dr Arif Alvi said that Turkish investment in Pakistan had grown over $1 billion.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu while leading a Turkish delegation said that Turkey would continue encouraging Turkish companies to invest in Pakistan.

The leaders expressed these views in a meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday.

Both the leaders said that Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to further solidify and expand bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and culture.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood QAureshi was also present in the meeting.

Welcoming the delegation, the president said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoyed excellent relations, and both the countries needed to further enhance economic and cultural relations for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

He informed that Pakistan's ranking of Ease of Doing Business had tremendously improved, and Turkish investors needed to capitalise on investment opportunities in Pakistan.

The president deeply thanked the Turkish leadership for its principled stance on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He asked the foreign minister to convey his gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for raising the voice of Kashmiris during his recent speech at the UN General Assembly. He also appreciated Turkey's leading role in the global efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic by providing assistance and support to Pakistan and other countries.

The Turkish foreign minister said that Turkey was keen to improve trade relations with Pakistan.

He added that Turkey would continue encouraging Turkish companies to invest in Pakistan.

Mevlut Cavusoglu assured that his country would continue to support Pakistan at international fora.

He appreciated Pakistan's support to Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021