ANKARA – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended apologies to Turkishbusinessmen for maltreatment they suffered during the government ofPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in last four years.
The premier expressed his regret while addressing a dinner reception hostedby President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey(TOBB) Riffat Hisarciklioglu in his honour.
PM Shehbaz Sharif, along with a high-level delegation, arrived in Turkey onhis maiden visit after assuming the office on April 11.
“Business is business, I would like to regret and say sorry formaltreatment done to Turkish businessmen. I apologise to you personally,”he said.
He highlighted that Pakistan was able to materialise various projectsincluding the metro bus project in Lahore and waste management with theassistance of Turkey.
Assuring all-out support to Turkish firms, he said that the government willtake measures to remove hurdles in their future ventures.
Read Top Stories
The premier also urged the business community of Pakistan and Turkey totake the bilateral trade to $5 billion mark within next three years.
He said unfortunately the historic friendship between Pakistan and Turkeydoes not reflect in the bilateral trade which currently stands at 1.1billion dollars.
PM Shehbaz said the government has done away with all the impediments tobusiness sector, urging Turkish investors to invest their capital inmultiple sectors like agriculture, IT, dairy, textile, and many otherfields.
The Prime Minister also thanked the Turkish people and the leadership forsupporting Pakistan during the earthquake and floods, besides showing itsunwavering support for the Kashmir cause. He also reiterated Pakistan’sstance to support Turkey on the Cyprus issue.
