By Islamuddin Sajid
ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Türkiye for its generous support in the wake of devastating floods that affected over 33 million people in the country, said an official statement issued on Friday.
Sharif met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Thursday evening on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand and updated him on the current flood situation, his office in Islamabad said in the statement.
“The Prime Minister extended his gratitude to President Erdogan and to the people of Türkiye for their solidarity and generous support in the wake of devastating floods in Pakistan, caused by climate change. He added that this support was reflective of the unique longstanding bonds between the two nations,” he said.
Sharif arrived in Samarkand with a high-level delegation to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State summit.
Sharif also expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations in a diverse range of areas, emphasizing the importance of various bilateral institutional mechanisms, particularly the High-level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), which serves as the leadership-level platform to provide strategic direction to this abiding partnership.
While welcoming the recent signing of a "Trade in Goods" agreement between the two countries, Pakistan's prime minister expressed confidence that proper implementation of the agreement would boost bilateral trade and serve as a catalyst for further strengthening bilateral economic and investment relations.
The two leaders agreed to maintain close contact and high-level exchanges to strengthen multi-dimensional strategic relations between Pakistan and Türkiye, according to the statement.