ISLAMABAD: Visiting Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu who called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday appreciated efforts and sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.

Mr Soylu, who arrived in the country earlier in the day, felicitated Mr Khan on behalf of the Turkish leadership for assuming the office of prime minister. He conveyed a message of felicitation and best wishes from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Mr Khan and said that the Turkish leadership admired vision of PM Khan for democracy, education and justice.

The Turkish interior minister invited Mr Khan to visit Turkey.

He said Turkey would provide any possible assistance to Pakistan in dealing with the problem of money laundering.

The two leaders agreed upon the need to put in place a robust mechanism to deal with the issue of illegal immigration.

The two sides discussed Pakistan-Turkey bilateral relations and ways and means to further enhance mutual cooperation in dive­rse areas, including security, border management, immigration and anti-terrorism.

PM Khan stated that Turkey held a special place in the hearts of Pakistanis who deeply admire Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, and the recent socio-economic achie­vements of Turkey under its present visionary leadership.

He expressed satisfaction over the upward trajectory of the Pakistan-Turkey bilateral relationship and mutual cooperation.

Mr Khan conveyed his best wishes for President Erdogan and other Turkish leaders and extended invitation to the president and his cabinet members to visit Pakistan.

The prime minister offered sharing of Pakistan’s expertise and experience in dealing with the issue of terrorism that not only threatened peace of a country but the entire region.

He also highlighted various steps being taken by the country to deal with the issue of money laundering and illegal immigration.

The Turkish interior minister was accompanied by deputy interior minister Ismail Çatakli, Turkish ambassador to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, deputy commander of Turkish General Command of Gendarmarie Lt Gen Ali Çardakçi, director general of Migration Management Abdullah Ayaz and head of the EU Affairs and Foreign Relations Department Savas Ünlü.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2018