KARACHI: “The relationship between Turkiye and Pakistan has had a glorious past and an equally promising future,” said the Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan, Mehmet Pacaci, during a talk at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Thursday.

Accompanied by the Turkish Consul General in Karachi, Cemal Sangu, the envoy said the history of Muslims, particularly in Asia, was what brought the people of Turkiye and Pakistan closer, and that history went back to thousands of years ago.

“Our history needs to be studied further by academicians in both Turkiye and Pakistan,” he said, while talking about the Ottoman Empire and the various Muslim dynasties from the 13th to the 20th centuries and the Khilafat Movement. He also spoke about the father of modern Turkiye, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. “The founding fathers of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Mohammad Iqbal, held great appreciation for Ataturk,” he said.

He also said the political connections of Turkiye and Pakistan went back to 77 years. “Our relationship started immediately in 1947 from where we developed and improved it. We have always supported each other in times of need. Turkiye remains a supporter of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue just like Pakistan supports Turkiye in its causes. We will never forget how Pakistan supported Turkiye when the Gülenist Terrorist Organisation/Parallel State Structure [FETO/PSS] staged a bloody coup in our country in 2016,” he said.

He also said that as far as the atrocities in Palestine and Gaza were concerned, Turkiye was with Pakistan on all international forums starting with the United Nations Security Council. “We also support each other against Islamophobia in the West,” he said.

“But despite deep-rooted historical ties and excellent relations, our trade needs to improve. “Currently, our trade volume is one million dollars, which does not reflect the true potential of both countries. Therefore, the president and prime minister of Pakistan have set a target to increase our annual trade volume to five million dollars in the next two to three years,” he said.

That said, he shared the cooperation between both countries in the defense sector. “Turkiye and Pakistan jointly built four MILGEM corvettes to conduct a wide range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare. Two of these were constructed by Turkish engineers in the Istanbul Naval Shipyard and two here at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works,” he said while talking about other joint projects including unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones.

The ambassador also highlighted the spiritual connection with the Turkish Sufi mystic Jalal al Din Muhammad Rumi, Red Crescent, educational bonds in the shape of Turkish institutions operating in Pakistan for teaching of Turkish culture and language, the over 80 Turkish schools here and higher education opportunities for Pakistani students in Turkiye. “We are happy to facilitate them as the young generation will continue the real bonds between the people of Turkiye and Pakistan,” he concluded.

KPC president Saeed Sarbazi and secretary Shoaib Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2024