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After a decade of cold relations, Pakistan-Turkey ties seem to be improving on the right path. Both countries have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly ties. The manifold commonalities between the two countries have been strengthened by the stiff resolve under the leadership of Erdogan and Imran Khan to further expand mutual assistance in all sectors.
The growing bilateral ties between Pakistan and Turkey include an increased frequency of high-level visits, purchase of defence equipment, military exchanges and exercises, political support for each other’s disputes with neighbouring countries and so on.
Ties between Pakistan and Turkey
Pakistan and Turkey have enjoyed a unique association that dates back to the times of the great leaders Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
It is evident that the recent visits of President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Imran Khan enhance these relations further in due course.
Bilateral Trade
Ever since the PTI came to power, major changes have taken place in Pakistan’s foreign policy. The focus is on bringing investment to Pakistan through diplomacy.
President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Khan agreed to develop a joint economic strategic framework, which would identify potential areas of economic and trade interests of the two countries, and identify obstacles in the way of enhanced trade and investment, and remove them.
In February 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Pakistan. During the visit, MoUs were signed between the two countries to promote cooperation in 13 different fields, including military training.
For the past two years, trade between Pakistan and Turkey has hovered millions, which does not equal the potential of this relationship or partnership.
According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data, Turkey’s exports to Pakistan have significantly augmented over the past decade, to $252 million in 2019 from $155 million in 2009.
In the meantime, Pakistan’s exports to Turkey climaxed at $973 million in 2017, while a downward trend prevailed over the following years.
Turkey’s exports to Pakistan summed to $615 million in the first 10 months last year, marking the highest export number to this country over the past decade. Also, imports from Pakistan stood at $305 million.
There is hope that in keeping with the international trends, economic and trade contact will assume centre-stage in relations between Pakistan and Turkey.
Defence ties
Since then both sides were expanding in defence industry cooperation. Indeed, improved trade ties between Pakistan and Turkey in recent years have gained new impetus with agreements inked in this sector. With the sale of ATAK helicopters and MİLGEM corvettes to be concluded during the next couple of years, billions of dollars will be added to export figures.
Kashmir dispute
Traditionally, Turkey has supported Pakistan’s official standpoint on the Kashmir issue, which says that a free and fair plebiscite in Kashmir under the supervision of the UN should take place, as specified in the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir.
Ankara still supports the UN option for a Kashmir settlement, but over the last few years, it has started to stress the importance of India-Pakistan bilateral talks in settling the issue.
Afghanistan Peace Summit
Last year, President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Khan agreed that sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan could be achieved through the resolution of all segments of Afghan society with the support of the regional countries and the global community.
President Erdoğan announced that Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan will hold a trilateral summit in Istanbul as soon as Turkish local elections are concluded in March.
UN Reforms
Erdoğan should be highly praised for raising his voice on the reforms within the Security Council with his illustrious phrase, “The world is bigger than five.” though, the genuine question that requires to be posed now is, “How long will the Muslim world bow down to the demands of those in charge of making decisions?” Pakistan hold-ups Turkey’s calls for a reformation within the UN but association on a much larger scale to address this issue are required.
FM Qureshi’s visit to Turkey
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on 23 April 2021 arrived in Istanbul on a two-day official visit after concluding his tour of Iran.
During his stay, he participated in a trilateral meeting attended by the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Afghanistan as well. The summit is taking place after the Istanbul summit on the Afghan peace process was postponed after the Taliban refused to attend.
The three foreign ministers discussed the latest developments in the Afghan peace process, exchange views on achieving the shared objectives of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and highlight Pakistan’s valuable efforts towards this end.
The Foreign Minister also held bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. They reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and discuss preparations for the 7th Session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which will be held in Turkey this year.
Conclusion
The visits of the top leadership of both countries were described as very successful and marked the beginning of a new era. It is considered that bilateral ties in trade and defence and other sectors will develop rapidly. Ambassadorial harmony and people-to-people contacts will further improve exponentially.
Indeed, rising geopolitical situations and economic crises have brought the two countries even closer to each other. It is expected that close collaboration between the two countries will be productive and will make sure development and peace stability, not merely for Pakistan and Turkey but also for the region.
