Turkish Prime Minister to address Pakistani Parliament: Intensifying Cooperation between D-8 Member States

Islamabad, Pakistan | October 23, 2009 by D-8 Secretariat

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, right, and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Reza Gilani, left, are seen during a press conference, following their meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. (AP Photo)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will address members of Pakistan’s Parliament during an official visit to the country, scheduled to take place on Sunday and Monday, Pakistani media have reported.

On Monday, two houses of the Pakistani Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, will hold a joint session for the address by Erdoğan. Following the visiting prime minister’s address, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will also deliver a speech at parliament in which he is expected to underline the importance attached by his government to bilateral relations with Turkey. State governors, members of the constitutional court, top commanders and representatives from diplomatic missions in Pakistan are expected to listen to Erdoğan’s speech at parliament, the Anatolia news agency reported.

During the visit, Erdoğan and Gilani are expected to sign a series of bilateral agreements in the fields of defense, commerce, mining, agriculture, education and energy, Anatolia also said. Earlier this week, the office of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari had already announced that the president will decorate Erdoğan with the presidential medal of merit “for being a supporter and defender of Pakistan in the international arena in addition to making contributions to improving political and economic relations between Pakistan and Turkey.”

Turkey is among the biggest exporter country among the D-8 Member states. With high export growth and wider job opportunities each year, this country serve best model for investment, and splendid export performance. Pakistan herself is a very good market for the Turkish industry, such as construction and allied sectors. However, there is a need to properly explore and tap it.

D-8 Secretary General, Dipo Alam, commenting on the scheduled visit said that he deeply wish that this event can be a cementing bridge to intensify the good relations between the two countries, which are also member of D-8, especially in trade and economic fields, as lined out in D-8 summits and other related programs of the D-8 Organization. “We hope to see more concrete results can be worked on for a more intense cooperation among our member states,” he said in his office on Tuesday, citing the example of the Joint Venture signing between Iran and Indonesia in petro-chemical sector last month.

Alam expresses his ope that Turkey can continously play its major role in speeding up the Preferential Trade Agreement so that they can be implemented as soon as possible without delay.

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