ISLAMABAD: The first round of the annual bilateral political consultations between Pakistan and Turkey within the framework of the High-level Strategic Cooperation Council was held at the Foreign Office here on Thursday.

The council was established in 2009.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey led their delegations at the talks.

The discussions encompassed a whole range of bilateral, regional and international issues.

Expressing satisfaction over the state of their existing relations, the two sides resolved to further intensify the strategic partnership, especially in the economic domain, by promoting facilitative frameworks including the preferential trade agreement and the currency swap arrangement.

They expressed the hope that the forthcoming visit of the Turkish prime minister to Pakistan would further strengthen bilateral relations.

Reaffirming the centrality of peace and stability to regional development, the two sides vowed to work closely with other regional partners in achieving this shared objective.

They noted with concern the multitude of challenges confronting the Muslim world and stressed the need for greater unity and solidarity among Muslim nations.

Underlining the utility of regular consultations in a rapidly changing global environment, the two sides decided to remain engaged on a regular basis.—APP