ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday he looked forward to hosting the next session of the Turkey-Pakistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) later this year.
Both leaders also agreed to the holding of the 7th High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), a primary platform at the leadership level, in Islamabad this year in September. He said this year, the two countries were celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.
The HLSCC was established in 2019 and is jointly headed by the prime minister of Pakistan and the president of Turkey. It provides overall guidance and vision for the implementation of a Strategic Economic Framework (SEF) the two nations have agreed on and plan to sign this year.
“Just concluded most cordial and highly productive talks with my brother President Erdogan,” Sharif wrote on Twitter. “We have renewed commitment to inject a greater substance to our existing strategic ties to the benefit of peoples of our two countries; Looking forward to hosting 7th session of HLSCC.”
The meeting also discussed the promotion of cooperation in different sectors, particularly trade, investment, education, communication, and culture.
PM Sharif said the historical and brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkey were witnessing a new dimension leading to the progress of the two nations.
The president underlined the need for business companies of both countries to increase the mutual investment as it was a driving engine for their economies.
Erdogan said the two countries would sign a strategic and economic framework agreement in Islamabad that would encompass a wide range of areas from bilateral trade to defense.
“We have grown our mutual trade volume which has exceeded the figure of $1 billion for the first time after 2010,” he said during the ceremony. “We aim to achieve a figure of $5 billion.”
