ISLAMABAD: Maritime cooperation, peace in the region and the ongoing war on terror were discussed by Defence Secretary retired Lt General Muhammad Alam Khattak with a Turkish delegation led by Rear Admiral Hakan Ustem, Commandant of Turkish Coast Guard, in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Defence, secretary defence said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoyed warm and cordial relations marked by a rich background and mutual goodwill. They shared understanding on issues related to stability in Afghanistan, war on terror and crisis in the Middle East. They also condemned terrorist incidents that recently took place in Istanbul and Charsadda.

They reiterated their commitment to eradicate terrorism and agreed to learn from each other’s experiences.

The two sides also expressed satisfaction over the successful 11th High-Level Military Dialogue on regional and global security held in Turkey last year and said that they hoped the next session scheduled to be held in Pakistan this year would also be productive.

Lt Gen (retd) Khattak said that he had called for improving further cooperation between defence industries from strategic to joint venture level.

“Pak-Turks are one nation with two countries,” he said. “We appreciate the role of the Turkish brethren in the infrastructure development, education sector and culture. The need of the hour is to increase people-to-people contact and to learn from each other’s experiences,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2016