Turkish Foreign Minister arrives in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday morning.
Bearing a message from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu landed in Islamabad on Thursday late night for a two-day official visit.
“Turkish Foreign Minister will arrive tonight and there will be delegation-level talks with our Foreign Minister. The Turkish Foreign Minister will also call on the Prime Minister,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Faisal told reporters in a weekly news briefing on Thursday.
Cavusoglu’s visit follows an invitation by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Besides Qureshi, he is also scheduled to meet with President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“Pakistan and Turkey already enjoy exemplary and historic relations based on heritage, culture, religion and there are very strong bonds,” Ankara’s ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul told Turkish News Agency Anadolu about the visit.
Top on the agenda are discussions relating to the bilateral ties of the two countries, enhanced cooperation and views on regional and international developments.
According to the Turkish News Agency, the bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan was around $650 million by the end of 2017, while Istanbul intends to improve this volume to $1 billion.
On August 10, US President Donald Trump slapped steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey in an attempt to force it to release US pastor Andrew Brunson.
"Brunson, who had been living in Turkey for more than two decades, was placed under house arrest for allegedly helping supporters of US-based Fethullah Gulen. Gulen stands accused by Turkey for a failed coup attempt in July 2016."
Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 to take over the administration of overseas schools linked to Fetullah Organization, Anadolu reported.
Pakistan has expressed solidarity with Turkey and its government over the economic crisis and the unilateral sanctions imposed by the US government.
“The solution to any and all issues should lie in dialogue, mutual understanding and goodwill. Any steps or actions to the contrary only undermine the peace and stability and make the solution to a problem more difficult and intractable,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office, on August 13, said.
Earlier, during a telephonic conversation with Cavusoglu, Qureshi had said that Pakistan-Turkey relations had transformed into a mutually-beneficial and strategic partnership over the years.

Turkish Foreign Minister arrives in Pakistan