Pakistan- Turkey to move towards Joint Defence Production
Shares
ANKARA: (APP) Pakistan and Turkey Thursday agreed to strengthen close cooperation at regional and international fora, particularly UN, OIC, ECO, and the D-8 Organization, through mutual support for joint initiatives, policies and candidacies.
It was agreed during the 5th meeting of Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) held in Ankara and was co-chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildrim.
According to a joint declaration issued after the 5th Pak-Turkey HLSCC, the two sides reaffirmed close, friendly and brotherly ties which are deeply rooted in history and a shared culture.
They were also desirous of giving further impetus to the already existing strategic cooperation between two countries, by taking concrete and significant steps in all areas of bilateral cooperation.
The two sides underlined the common vision of both countries for establishing peace, stability and prosperity in their region.
They condemned in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attacks in both countries, and expressed condolences at the loss of precious lives as a result of such heinous attacks.
Pakistan and Turkey also reiterated their common resolve to fight the scourge of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as well as the threat of extremism, and to support the relevant initiatives in this regard at regional and international platforms.
They reiterated strong condemnation of the heinous coup attempt in Turkey on 15 July 2016, paying tribute to the brave and resilient Turkish people who stood resolutely in defence of democracy against the forces of darkness.
The two sides expressed firm resolve to continue their strong mutual support to each other on issues of core national interest, and in defence of the peace and prosperity of the two nations.
They also took note of the commitments made in the `Joint Declaration on the Future Directions of Pakistan-Turkey Strategic Relationship' of 17 November 2016.
The two sides recalled all the previous Joint Declarations signed between the two sides under the framework of Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), and the decisions made therein.
They expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved under the framework of the Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), and endorsed the outcomes of the meetings of the Joint Working Groups of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council held in Ankara on 22
February 2017.
According to the Joint Declaration, Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Turkey, - Co-chairs of the Fifth Meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, held in Ankara, on 23 February 2017 - , with the participation of Ministers and Deputy Ministers as well as other prominent dignitaries and officials have agreed as follows:
"Political Cooperation
- The High Level Strategic Cooperation Council shall continue to be the main political forum that guides bilateral relations in all fields.
- Effective implementation and follow-up of the decisions taken at the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council meetings shall be ensured. To this end, a Political
Coordination Joint Working Group shall be formed between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The Political Coordination Joint Working Group shall be responsible for coordination of the activities of other Joint Working Groups.
- Intensive exchanges at the leadership level, parliamentarians, businessmen as well as civil society and media representatives shall be furthered.
- Close cooperation at regional and international fora, particularly the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and the D-8 Organization, through inter alia mutual support for joint initiatives, policies and candidacies shall be strengthened.
- In this context, remaining concerned over attempts to link Islam with terrorism, Pakistan and Turkey share the resolve to continue working together on issues of common interest, including the multilateral initiatives to combat growing trends of racism, Islamophobia, as well as discrimination based on religion and stereotyping against Muslims.
- Welcome the holding of the 13th ECO Summit on 1st March 2017 in Islamabad as it would contribute towards making ECO more effective, in the goal of realizing prosperity and development by enhancing regional cooperation and collaboration.
- The consultations covering various fields between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries shall be further intensified and broadened.
- The need for resolution of all outstanding differences between Pakistan and India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through a sustained dialogue process and in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions is once more underscored.
- The need for making the United Nations Security Council more representative, democratic, transparent, effective and accountable through comprehensive United Nations Security Council reform process, based on widest possible consensus is reiterated.
Security and Defence Cooperation
- The military cooperation between the two countries shall continue to be intensified, and be focused on joint defence production and research and development activities.
- The two sides would expeditiously complete the work on developing a comprehensive, long-term and forward-looking framework for defence cooperation.
- Cooperation shall be enhanced to further promote global disarmament and non-proliferation objectives which will help safeguard and strengthen international as well as regional security and promote strategic stability, including in each other's respective regions.
In this connection, Turkey appreciates Pakistan's announcement of adherence to the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which will further the global non-proliferation objective.
- Cooperation between the police agencies of the two countries shall continue to be expanded to include the capacity building and police training activities.
- Through effective cooperation in combatting against cyber-crimes and transnational organized crimes, mutual information exchange shall be developed to prevent these crimes.
- In order to effectively fight against the Fetullah G�len Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure, the cooperation and information sharing shall be enhanced.
- Existing cooperation on implementation of the Agreement on Readmission of Persons Residing without Authorization shall be strengthened, as well as the cooperation on travel documents of irregular migrants exiting from Turkey.
Energy Cooperation
- Enhancement of cooperation in the field of energy is a priority.
- Cooperation in the fields of coal, electricity transmission and development of the electricity infrastructure shall be further advanced.
- Cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons, exploration and production, supply and trade of petroleum products, LNG and petroleum infrastructure development shall be strengthened and cooperation between the relevant organizations shall be encouraged.
- The investments of private sector in Pakistan in the field of renewable energy resources, especially in wind and solar energy are welcome and the cooperation in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency shall be further developed.
Trade Cooperation:
- The efforts towards increasing the current trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan reflecting the level of their excellent political relations and the real potential of their respective economies shall be continued.
- Pakistan-Turkey Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which covers trade in goods, and services and investment is currently under negotiation between the two countries. Five rounds of negotiations have been held so far. Further discussions will be conducted taking into consideration the sensitivities of economies of both countries. The FTA shall be finalized within the projected timeframe. Its early conclusion will constitute an important step towards the enhancement of trade between the two countries.
Finance Cooperation
- Cooperation in the fields of finance and banking including insurance, capital markets, anti-money laundering, budgeting, financial reporting and auditing shall be enhanced.
- Cooperation between two countries in Islamic finance shall be furthered.
- Exchange of information and experiences between Pakistan Stock Exchange and Borsa Istanbul shall be encouraged.
- The development projects in the government of Pakistan's priority sectors will be carried out under US $ 300 million credit line on terms and conditions as may be agreed upon by the two sides.
