Pakistan and Turkey were learning from each other's experiences and had mounted determined efforts to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from their respective soil, said Pakistan's ambassador to Turkey Sohail Mahmood, here on Sunday.
Pakistan and Turkey suffer from terrorism and therefore cooperate on security and defence issues on a regular basis to combat terrorism and further bolster economic and trade ties, he told APP in an interview while recapitulating on Pak-Turkish ties in diverse fields.
He said, during Pak-Turkey bilateral meetings, the two sides had been exploring avenues to reinforce their multi-faceted relations, particularly in defence and economic sectors. "It is an on-going process and is always on the agenda for further strengthening security and defence cooperation," he added.
Turkish Police had been helping Punjab police to build its capacity in counter-terrorism and helped train the 'Dolphin Force' for curbing street crimes.
On the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), he said, both countries had already signed a framework for the agreement in March 2016 and there would be more rounds of talks in May and June for finalising details. He said, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had already instructed for completion of negotiations by September 2016 when the two countries are expected to ink the agreements.
The agreement would create a legal framework for greater trade between Pakistan and Turkey, which was far below the actual potential, he added.
FTA would open up vast opportunities for the Pak-Turk business communities which would be consistent to the desire of both countries for further bolstering trade and economic relations, said the envoy.
The Turkish ambassador to Pakistan, Sadik Babur Girgin, recently expressed similar views, saying there were massive economic opportunities which must be tapped for the benefit of both Pakistan and Turkey, said Sohail Mahmood.
To a question on the start of the cargo train between Pakistan and Turkey, he said, efforts were underway while both the countries were engaged in addressing many technical issues like schedule of the trains and customs formalities.
He added, the Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Iran and Turkey needed to work out details of the cargo train. However, he added Pakistan was keen to start the cargo train as soon as possible.
As discussions between the two sides regarding the cargo train was underway, some officials were of the opinion that there should be guaranteed cargo while others opined the start of the train would generate bookings and business activities on its own.
Describing the train service as a 'promising project', the ambassador Sohail Mahmood said it would help enhance trade between the three countries and boost economic activities.
The envoy concluded by saying he had also taken steps to build people-to-people contacts, adding that Pak-Turkey ties transcended governments as both nations were bound by their special cultural ties.