ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain on Wednesday reached Ankara on a 4-day official visit to Turkey at the invitation of Bulent Arinc, the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

He is accompanied by National Assembly members Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Dr Abdul Kadir Khanzada, Bushra Rehman and Prof Aasiya Azeem. The speaker was received by the deputy governor of Ankara.

In their meeting the speakers of two countries exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and cooperation. Amir Hussain lauded the democratic traditions of Turkey and said that democracy in Pakistan was fully restored after the October 2002 elections.

Speaker Bulent Arinc said they were willing to develop cooperation between the parliaments of two countries. Turkish nation wished peace, stability and progress for the brotherly Pakistani nation, he added. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later received the visiting Pakistani Parliamentary delegation.-APP