By Humeyra Atilgan Buyukovali
ISTANBUL
Turkish investment is sought for Pakistan's energy sector, Shahbaz Sharif, chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, told Anadolu Agency late on Monday.
"I again request that my Turkish brothers come and invest in the area of energy. You can close your eyes and invest in this area, and you cannot go wrong, as a 17 percent of profit is guaranteed and your investment is covered by the sovereign guarantee of the government of Pakistan," Sharif said.
Other sectors should also interest Turkish investors. "Turkey has great experience and vast capacity in the agricultural sector, industrial investment, and infrastructure like the construction of roads and buildings. So, I invite them to come and do business in Pakistan."
Stating that the economic relations between the two countries have been improving for the last five to seven years "with the mutual efforts of both countries," he said there are Turkish companies in Pakistan and in Punjab, which are "making nice profits and giving very good service."
Pointing to the trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan, Sharif says, "the quantum of bilateral trade is not reflective of our friendship and fraternity."
"Rather, both of us feel a little embarrassed about the trade volume. Brotherhood has been remarkable, but it is the conversion into business areas what is lacking."
The trading volume between the two countries is about less than $1 billion, he shared and said: "We need to take it to $10 billion. Therefore, we really need to move forward and do a lot more in this field."
He stressed that "Turkey and Pakistan are great friends," and said the two countries have a strong relation dating back to hundreds of years ago.
His remarks came just before the Heart of Asia Istanbul conference, which takes place on Dec. 8-9, in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, and hosting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Afghan delegations and Pakistan officials will also participate in the conference to discuss the key issues related to regional security, Sharif said.
Following his meetings with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday, Shahbaz Sharif said tht the leaders discussed the trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan, as well as "the acts of terrorism which are taking place around the globe."
"We obviously have condemned with full force the brutality which took place in Ankara in the month of October and elsewhere in France and in Lebanon." He pointed to the need "to work closely to fight this menace of terrorism."
- 'Splendid victory' in Turkey's Nov. 1 general elections
"I have come this time to Turkey to personally congratulate the President and the Prime Minister of Turkey for the splendid victory during the recent elections, which has given great happiness to the people of Pakistan, the Prime Minister and the President of Pakistan. They are all very happy."
He said that, after the June elections, when The Justice and Development (AK) Party lost the majority in parliament, "an era of uncertainty" reigned in Turkey. "Since our hearts beat together, we were a little concerned," he said.
"Thank God after this election things are becoming normal again. So, it is a mood of happiness that we are sharing together."
In an address to Turkish citizens, he says: "You are our brothers and sisters, we are one soul in two hearts and I would like to congratulate all of you for the very successful phase of elections."
Sharif also expressed "thanks to President Erdogan, and Prime Minister Davutoglu and Mayor of Istanbul [Kadir Topbas] for supporting us in bringing metro system in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan. I would say that this invaluable support from our Turkish leaders and brothers has helped me a lot in building these projects in Pakistan for the good of the people."
- Pakistan ready "to promote peace in Afghanistan" and "to negotiate with India"
Sharif said his country "is prepared to play its role and to promote peace in Afghanistan."
"Afghanistan is our neighbor. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan," he says. "We told them that we sincerely want to help them and support them in all kinds of these issues. Therefore, we arranged talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government."
After the first round of direct peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban was completed in Pakistan, the two sides agreed to continue negotiating after Ramadan.
Sharif says the second round of talks did not take place "since the Kabul government announced the death of Mullah Omar on the eve of the second round."
"We are still ready to play our role," Sharif adds.
In July 2015, analysts questioned the timing of the announcement of Omar's death, which came as the Afghan government prepared for a second round of peace talks that began in Pakistan. The announcement raised concerns about how a new Taliban leadership would take over the negotiations.
Sharif also pointed to the recent meeting between the national security advisers of India and Pakistan on Sunday in Bangkok, where authorities discussed issues related to peace, security and terrorism.
"That is a good development," Sharif says. He says there should be talks "to discuss the ongoing problems like Kashmir, water issues, and terrorism."
"We cannot afford tension, we cannot afford more wars. It will only bring devastation, unemployment, and poverty. "We have to sit down, negotiate and find just solutions to the problems so that our part of the world become a true model of cooperation, For that, India has to accept the challenge."
