Experts laud Pakistan, Turkey’s efforts for ME peace

NUST, Turkish think tank hold a webinar on Gulf region

ISLAMABAD:

Peace and stability in South Asia, and most particularly in the Middle East, is paramount for the countries in the region to develop and progress economically, culturally, and socially.

Without peace, nations cannot meet the challenges of healthcare, climate change, food security, and economic growth.

In this context, a webinar was held under the aegis of NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) and the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies – ORSAM, a leading Ankara-based Turkish think tank, titled ‘Normalization in the Gulf Region: Significance for Turkey and Pakistan’.

Moderated by former foreign secretary of Pakistan Ambassador (retd) Riaz Khokhar the webinar was attended by Turkish and Pakistani experts, higher education leaders, academics, security analysts, scholars and students.

In his opening remarks, NUST Rector Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari highlighted Pakistan and Turkey’s earnest desire for a peaceful Middle East. Lauding the development and modernisation achieved by individual Gulf countries, he stressed the need for moving from individual development to shared growth.

He advocated the need for interIslamic coordination and cooperation in establishing a broad-based multilateral framework for conflict management and resolution in the Middle East. Ambassador Khokhar said that Pakistan-Turkey relations were an exemplar of deep trust and reciprocity. He identified that understanding of the two countries had lasted over decades, a rare feature in the world of diplomacy.

ORSAM President and Istanbul University Professor of Political Sociology Dr. Ahmet Uysal highlighted Pakistan’s role in the Gulf. He stated that solutions to multiple conflicts in the Middle East could be achieved through a common commitment to peace, stability, and dialogue.