ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Turkish senior officials on Friday held wide-ranging consultations on Strategic Economic Framework (SEF) aimed at boosting trade and commercial ties between the two brotherly countries.

According to a press release, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had agreed on Jan 4 to develop a long-term strategic economic framework for promoting a relationship that reflected the extremely close strategic and historic ties between the two countries.

Economic Affairs Divison Secretary Noor Ahmed headed the Pakistan delegation in Ankara, which included senior officials of ministries and departments concerned. Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkey Mohammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Pakistan Consul General in Istanbul Bilal Khan Pasha also attended the meeting.

Deputy Minister for Trade Gonca Yilmaz Batur headed the Turkish delegation.

She said that considerable progress was made on discussing the draft SEF as well as a comprehensive plan of action. Ms Batur said that broader areas of collaboration in the proposed SEF included trade and textile, investment and industrial cooperation, banking and finance, transport and communication, low-cost housing, defence production, aviation, auto industry, agriculture, water resource management, health and pharmaceuticals, transport and communication, education and vocational training, energy, science and technology, organised industrial zones and small and medium enterprises as well as culture and tourism.

She said that it was expected that the finalised SEF would be adopted during the next meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey high-level Strategic Cooperation Council that would be co-chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Imran Khan and would be held in Pakistan soon.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2019