LAHORE - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyab Erdogan is arriving in the provincial metropolis on Monday (today) on a three-day official visit to Pakistan.
The Turkish Prime Minister is leading a delegation comprising Ministers, businessmen and entrepreneurs. The two countries are expected to ink bilateral agreements on coal power projects, construction of dams and on the projects in the transportation sector besides agreements of cooperation between the individual businessmen on both sides in various areas particularly textiles, cement, tourism, production of defence related items, solar and wind energy and housing.
After achieving the GSP+ status, Pakistan may ask the brotherly country to relax duty on the textile goods of Pakistan although Turkish law does not allow the PTA waiver on textile imports.
An agreement for cooperation in the construction of Lahore-Karachi Motorway is also on the cards. Besides meeting his Pakistani counterpart, the Turkish PM is scheduled to preside over the Business Forum to be held in Lahore and participated by the businessmen of the two countries. The Chief Minister will also host a reception in honour of the Turkish PM and his delegation.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that Punjab government warmly welcomes Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on his visit to Lahore. He said that Turkey was a brotherly Islamic country which supported Pakistan in every hour of trial and now Pak-Turkish friendship had entered into a new era. Shahbaz Sharif said that financial and technical cooperation of Turkey in Metro Bus Service, Solid Waste Management and other sectors was commendable which will result in further strengthening of trade and economic relations between the two countries.
He said that Pakistan had centuries-old social, political, religious and trade ties with Turkish people, adding, that visit of Turkish Prime Minister to Pakistan which, he said, would be a continuation of the journey both countries embarked on to promote their economic and trade ties and will further strengthen these relations.