Eulogised bilateralism
Islamabad and Ankara took a leap forward as they resolved to cement their relations, and buoy confidence building measures. The pledge coincides with their 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, aptly supplemented by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s debut official visit to Turkey.
The bilateral talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took new heights as they agreed to work on shared goals in the region, and to foment a mechanism of institutional cooperation. This is a welcome development as it corresponds to the changing ground realities in the wake of new global order that is slipping towards bipolarity. Turkey and Pakistan have a lot of potential to explore, and it goes without saying that much of that is untapped to this day owing to a lethargic attitude and lack of initiative. This is what this bilateral visit apparently tends to address in all eagerness.
Pakistan is eyeing a bilateral trade volume of up to $5 billion in the next two years. Apart from conventional trade that spans from agriculture to value-added products, there is a remarkable potential in the fields of hydropower and renewable energy, as well as in engineering and automobiles. Islamabad is eager to attract Turkish investment, and eulogises the manner in which it has dealt with its industrial synergies in Turkish Cyprus, enabling it to become a competitive zone of investment in the heartland of Europe. Pakistan wants to emulate that initiative and looks ahead to Turkish businesses for investment. The upcoming seventh High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council moot in Islamabad could be an appropriate forum to iron out a deal, and kick-start a new era of economic collaboration. Shehbaz and Erdogan, in the same spirit, also saw the signing of more than eight MoUs during the three-day visit. The recent launch of the MILGEM-class ship PNS Badar in Karachi is an added feather in terms of their expanding defence cooperation.
Both the countries have a geostrategic underlining and Ankara’s unconditional support to the struggle for self-determination in Kashmir is a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Pakistan, likewise, has always been vocal for Northern Cyprus and calls for peaceful resolution of the territorial dispute. The most startling aspect of the growing bilateralism is the new realisation that there has to be unanimity in the Muslim world, and it should not be split into camp politics. Erdogan and Shehbaz have tactfully furthered that impression.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2022.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.