Pakistan will proceed to assist Türkiye within the efforts to safeguard the rights of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Pakistan’s Ambassador to Türkiye Yousaf Junaid stated.
Talking in an unique interview with Every day Sabah, Junaid stated: “Pakistan has at all times lent its assist to Türkiye on its core points together with the crucial difficulty of Cyprus. We acknowledge the respectable rights and issues of Türkiye and Turkish Cypriots within the Japanese Mediterranean.”
He underlined that Pakistan has constantly prolonged its unequivocal assist to TRNC in any respect worldwide fora, together with on the U.N., Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Financial Cooperation Group (ECO).
“We are going to proceed to do this,” Junaid emphasised.
Pakistan has been internet hosting a buying and selling workplace of TRNC in Islamabad since 1987.
Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, regardless of a sequence of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to attain a complete settlement.
As we speak, the Turkish facet helps an answer based mostly on the equal sovereignty of the 2 states on the island. Alternatively, the Greek facet needs a federal resolution based mostly on the hegemony of the Greeks.
On the opposite facet, Junaid spoke in regards to the thriving bilateral ties between the 2 international locations, saying that high-level exchanges and visits are a particular side and common function of relations.
“These interactions present the required impetus and possession by the management to information our strategic and complete relations.”
He recalled that Pakistan’s Prime Minister was in Ankara on the inauguration ceremony after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s historic re-election this Might and added that Erdoğan is anticipated to pay a go to to Pakistan within the close to future for the seventh Excessive-Stage Strategic Cooperation Council, for which the dates are being labored out.
The Excessive-Stage Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) is the first platform on the management stage, which has been instrumental in additional cementing bilateral relations.
Protection ties are additionally persevering with to develop with Pakistan’s Military and Air Power Chiefs visiting Türkiye not too long ago.
Indicating that protection cooperation is “exemplary”, Junaid continued: “Our shut strategic partnership and protection collaboration is cemented by means of institutional mechanisms, high-level exchanges, and joint initiatives. Pakistan is among the largest prospects of the Türkiye’s protection merchandise.”
There’s an ever-increasing cooperation between Pakistan and Turkish protection Industries in initiatives, together with Tremendous Mashak coach plane and MILGEM ships.
Final month, PNS Tariq, the fourth and the final of MILGEM corvettes constructed by Türkiye for Pakistan, was inaugurated at a ceremony in Pakistan’s southern port metropolis of Karachi with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz attending this system.
“With the ever-changing geo-strategic pursuits, we’re working to strengthen our joint capabilities and manufacturing in key sectors together with the event of fighter plane. Our shut bilateral collaboration in all areas of mutual curiosity wouldn’t solely proceed however additional intensify sooner or later,” the ambassador stated.
It was beforehand reported that Pakistan and Türkiye may cooperate on Türkiye’s domestically developed fifth-generation fighter jet KAAN. KAAN boasts all applied sciences and options present in fifth-generation warplanes. It is going to present the chance to strategically assault air-to-air and air-to-ground targets. It has a very home infrastructure for safe knowledge sharing and using good munitions.
On power cooperation, Junaid stated that equally enormous potential exists on this space as nicely.
“With a GDP of greater than $350 billion and 50% of our inhabitants of 220 million below the class of center revenue, Pakistan is a beautiful funding vacation spot. We’re very eager to draw extra Turkish investments, particularly within the power, infrastructure and mining sectors. Corporations from either side can complement one another by means of joint ventures and faucet the immense power sources in Pakistan,” he stated.
The ambassador gave the instance of collaboration in renewables, together with wind and photo voltaic power. The Jhimpir Wind Energy Plant in Pakistan is an instance of earlier initiatives whereas the 2 international locations now additionally intention for funding of the magnitude of $10 billion within the photo voltaic power sector of Pakistan, which would come with solarization of presidency buildings to megaprojects.
“We imagine that the Turkish companies with aggressive edge and capability within the power sector can profit largely from our latest coverage ‘Pakistan Oil Refining Coverage for New/ Greenfield Refineries 2023,’” Junaid stated, including that: “Turkish firms are inspired to arrange their manufacturing services in Particular Financial Zones, which supply extremely engaging alternatives and services to the overseas traders.”
Potential for commerce
The ambassador, nevertheless, additionally talked about that the present bilateral commerce quantity, which is $1.3 billion (TL 35.14 billion), is beneath the potential of the 2 international locations and that this determine can simply be enhanced by means of mutual steps.
“The ethnic, non secular and cultural bonding, which exists in each potential manner within the political area and social area, must be remodeled in a extra significant manner towards the realm of products, companies, commerce and economics.”
Our potential is way past the goal of $5 billion, he added. The ambassador talked about areas corresponding to agriculture, livestock, info applied sciences and mining as having potential for cooperation in addition to already flourishing fields together with the textile and protection business sector.
Calling on Turkish firms to contemplate Pakistan for investments, the envoy stated: “Pakistan has a vital geostrategic location. No matter you might be producing in Pakistan goes to be consumed round 30%-50% within the nation whereas the remainder will be simply exported to shut areas such because the Gulf area with low logistical prices.”
As an answer to extend the bilateral commerce quantity, the ambassador highlighted that the basket of financial cooperation fields must be enhanced, institutional mechanisms have to be developed and funding has to circulate initially from Türkiye towards Pakistan.
Worldwide challenges
Aside from bilateral ties, Türkiye and Pakistan additionally incessantly cooperate and seek the advice of on worldwide and regional challenges, together with rising assaults on Muslims and Islam in addition to the continuing instability in Pakistan’s neighboring Afghanistan.
Junaid reiterated that Pakistan condemned within the strongest phrases the “mindless and deeply offensive act” of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and earlier than that in different European international locations.
“Such despicable acts name into query the authorized framework behind which the Islamophobes disguise and unfold hatred with impunity. At a time when there’s an rising want for inter-faith concord and mutual respect for peaceable coexistence, the worldwide group can’t flip a blind eye to those developments, that are a supply of ache and anguish to over 2 billion Muslims all over the world,” the ambassador added.
“We imagine that freedom of expression comes with duties. These provocative acts of non secular hatred, by any definition, don’t represent freedom of expression. Pakistan considers that it’s the accountability of the nationwide governments in addition to the worldwide group to stop these racist and Islamophobic acts,” he stated.
Junaid highlighted that the 2 international locations labored and are working carefully below the ambit of the OIC to boost issues, ensuing within the commemoration of “Worldwide Day to Fight Islamophobia” by the United Nations.
“Each Pakistan and Türkiye lead the Istanbul Course of, which is the sensible street map of U.N. Human Rights Council Decision 16/18 on combatting intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia on the idea of faith or perception. We’d proceed with our mixed efforts in opposition to such Islamophobic acts.”
In Afghanistan, equally, bilateral efforts are ongoing.
“As mates and companions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkiye ought to proceed to work collectively in the direction of selling the shared beliefs of a peaceable, affluent and interconnected Afghanistan,” Junaid stated.
The ambassador additionally spoke on the difficulties the scenario in Afghanistan is inflicting for the nation. Internet hosting greater than 3 million Afghan refugees, Pakistan is looking for burden-sharing because it has been inflicting financial stress within the nation.
“Peace and stability in Afghanistan is a strategic crucial for Pakistan. Afghanistan has traditionally performed a job as a bridge between peoples and cultures. Peace in Afghanistan gives contemporary alternatives to comprehend this potential by means of initiatives like TAPI, CASA-1000 and the Trans-Afghan Railways,” he stated.
