Summary PM Nawaz Sharif held meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Turkish President on Friday.
UNITED NATIONS (APP) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and discussed close relations between the two countries.
Recalling his recent productive and successful visit to Turkey, Prime Minister Sharif stated that his government was committed to taking Pakistan’s strategic partnership with Turkey to new heights through tangible economic cooperation between the two countries. He also briefed the Turkish president on his initiatives to create a peaceful neighbourhood in South Asia.
The Turkish president stated that his country attached high importance to its relations with Pakistan and would like to deepen the same, particularly in the economic field.
He said that he would encourage Turkish companies to invest in Pakistan particularly in infrastructure and energy sectors.
The two leaders also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by telephone to express his condolences on the loss of life and property caused by the recent earthquake in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Sharif thanked Erdogan for his expression of sympathy for the victims of the earthquake and for his solidarity with the people of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on his government’s recent decision to substantially increase spending in the education and health sectors when the Pakistani leader met him on Friday, according to a U.N. spokesman said.
Spokesman Martin Nesirky said the two leaders discussed matters concerning Pakistan’s regional relations, including developments in neighbouring Afghanistan. They addressed issues related to sustainable development, disaster risk response and Pakistan s contributions to United Nations peacekeeping efforts.
Pakistan is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations around the world, with more than 9,000 troops. The Secretary-General expressed his condolences to the Prime Minister for the loss of lives caused by the recent earthquake in Balochistan province. The spokesman said the Secretary-General and the Prime Minister also discussed the situation in Syria and expressed optimism at recent diplomatic moves towards holding the international conference on Syria.
