Turkey 'has always helped Pakistan in tiring times'

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Former foreign minister of Pakistan, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri has appreciated Turkey’s support for Pakistan in its tiring times.

"Turkey has always helped Pakistan in tiring times," Qasuri said at a seminar held Tuesday by the Lahore-based University of Management and Technology (UMT) as part of a series of events to celebrate the 70 years of Pakistan-Turkey diplomatic relations.

The seminar was held at the UMT's newly established Pak-Turk Studies Center.

Turkey is continuously contributing to the development of the country and its prosperity, Kasuri said according to a statement released by UMT.

"We need a brave and competent leadership like Turkey to root out political and economic crisis including the issue of terrorism," the former foreign minister added.

Prof. Mesut Ozcan, the chairman of the Centre for Strategic Research, and director of Diplomacy Academy at the Turkish Foreign Ministry was the chief guest of the seminar.

Turkey and Pakistan share many things in common and their brotherly relations spanning decades are turning stronger with every passing day, Ozcan said.

He added that Turkey was contributing to the development of Pakistan through a number of initiatives and projects undertaken by the Turkish companies in Pakistan.

Ozcan appreciated UMT Chairman Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad for taking a lead in setting up Pakistan’s first Pak-Turk Studies Center that will act as a platform to do public policy research in areas of social, economic, and political landscape of both the countries, the statement added.

Elaborating the purpose of the Pak-Turk Studies Center, Murad said the center would provide a forum for strategic discourse, develop study programs, exchange faculty and students and host seminars and conferences on topics of great interest.

UMT has already set up an office in Turkish capital Ankara where it won the Turkish government’s support for establishing a world-class university in order to translate the concept of ‘Two Countries-One Nation’ about Pakistan-Turkey friendship into a reality, Murad said.

UMT Rector Dr. Muhammad Aslam and officials from the Turkish Embassy and Consulate were also present at the event.