ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said Monday that Pakistan was seeking more Turkish investment in multifarious sectors and ready to offer special incentives package and exclusive investment zone for Turkish entrepreneurs and companies.
Speaking at a dinner hosted in honour of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Gilani said, “Pakistan will welcome more Turkish investment in infrastructure including energy, construction and communication as well as in urban development and agriculture sectors.”
“We are ready to consider a special incentives package and establishment of an exclusive investment zone for Turkish entrepreneurs and companies desirous of setting up their businesses in Pakistan,” he added.
He said, “We also desire more active engagement in cultural and educational fields. Pakistani students would like to benefit from the excellence that Turkey has achieved in higher education especially, in science and technology.”
He said, “In order to promote active linkages between private industry and the academia, our educational institutions can collaborate in setting up joint technology incubators and techno-parks to undertake research and development projects.”
The prime minister said he was convinced that the second High Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) would set a new roadmap for expanding their strategic partnership especially in economic and commercial fields.
“The decisions of HLCC will guide transforming our relations into a comprehensive partnership for the mutual benefit of our two countries.”
He said, “We, in Pakistan, admire the giant strides that Turkey has made on the road to socio-economic progress under your visionary leadership. The people-centric policies and the welfare agenda of your government have made a deep impact in improving the lives of ordinary citizens in Turkey. We would like to learn from Turkey’s experience.”
Gilani said Pakistan and Turkey have a very unique relationship, deeply rooted in history and nurtured over the years by the people of the two countries, these special bonds transcend physical distances and language barriers.
“Physically we may live thousands of miles apart but our hearts beat together,” he said adding, “From Islamabad to Ankara, from Larkana to Kayseri and from Multan - the land of saints and Sufis - to Konya, Pir Rumis’ last resting place, we are eternally connected with a common bond of love and brotherhood.”
The prime minister acknowledged the personal involvement and contribution of the Turkish Prime Minister in fostering the exemplary relationship.  “The people of Pakistan cannot forget the support and affection demonstrated by you and Madam Emine Erdogan for the victims of 2005 earthquake and 2010 floods,” he added.
Gilani said Pakistan attaches great importance to strengthening bilateral economic and commercial relations with Turkey.
“Our bilateral trade crossed one billion dollar mark last year. It is a welcome development; yet it does not reflect the true potential of extensive business opportunities that exist between our two countries.”
“We have been strongly advocating for the establishment of mutually agreed facilitative frameworks to provide opportunities to our businessmen,” he added.
The prime minister expressed the confidence that signing of a comprehensive and meaningful Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), which provides comparative advantage to entrepreneurs and businessmen from both countries, will result in a substantial increase in the bilateral trade.
Gilani said Pakistan had to face difficult circumstances over the past decade due to terrorism and extremism that continues to plague the region.
“It has impeded our economic development and severely affected social fabric of the country. We have lost thousands of innocent civilians and brave soldiers in the fight against terrorism.”  “We even lost, our most charismatic leader and two-time Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to a terrorist’s bullet. But we are determined not be cowed down by the terrorists.” He said, “We are a resilient nation and we would not let sacrifices of our people go unrewarded. We would pursue the terrorists to the very end and cleanse our society from the scourge of terrorism.”
“Notwithstanding, the huge challenges being faced by the country, we remain committed to the ideals of democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, freedom of expression and creation of a just and inclusive society as envisioned by our forefathers.”
The prime minister said Pakistan desires peace, stability and prosperity in the neighbourhood.
“We are reaching out to our neighbours in this spirit. We have opened a new chapter of constructive engagement with Afghanistan based on mutual trust and confidence.”
He said Pakistan embarked on a purposeful and result-oriented dialogue with India with an aim to resolving all outstanding issues.
“We would play our role in ushering in an era of peace, amity and prosperity in South Asia and beyond.”
He said the people of Pakistan and Turkey have stood shoulder to shoulder through thick and thin since their existence. 
Gilani concluded his speech with prayers and best wishes for the Turkish Prime Minister’s health and wellbeing, for the peace and prosperity of the brotherly people of Turkey and for the everlasting friendship between Pakistan and Turkey.
On this occasion, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a heartfelt speech and said he was very pleased to visit Pakistan, which he considers his second home.
He said Pakistan and Turkey had an important role to play and their ties could help promote regional peace.
He said the people of Pakistan and Turkey had strong feelings of fraternity and Pakistanis were like ‘neighbours’ for them. This strong feeling of fraternity could surmount all distances and challenges, he added.
He said the affinity between the two countries goes back to the times of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
He recalled that when he visited Pakistan in 2009, he described relations with Pakistan as a very valuable gem. “Relations between the two countries have skyrocketed in positivity,” he remarked.
The Turkish Prime Minister said the High Level Cooperation Council is an important platform to take forward relations of the two countries.
He said when he took over office, the bilateral trade of Pakistan and Turkey was 170 million dollars but now it has reached the mark of $ one billion.
Erdogan underlined the need to further increase the trade volume and provide businessmen more opportunities in order to raise living standards of the people of their countries.
He urged that leadership of the two countries should work hand in hand to tap the potential in areas of energy, transport, defence, tourism and education.
The prime minister said the biggest reward for him is that relations of the two countries are becoming stronger.
Ties between Pakistan and Turkey are of crucial importance in terms of peace and stability, he observed. He pledged to support Pakistan in its development and against security-related challenges. “The future is bright and spectacular for both of our countries. We should not only be together in bad times like earthquakes but also during the good times. We should undertake joint ventures.”
Erdogan said it was duty of Turkey as member of a family to come to the assistance of Pakistan in disasters like earthquake and floods.
He said by the end of this year, keys of 4,000 homes will be given to people in disaster hit areas of Pakistan and many hospital and school projects will be completed.
Federal ministers, chiefs of armed services and members of delegations of Pakistan and Turkey attended the dinner.