Erdogan Calls for Preventing Israel from "Spreading the Smell of Gunpowder and Blood" in the Region

SadaNews - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations and joint cooperation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Istanbul on Saturday, coinciding with the Turkish-Pakistani Business Forum, which saw confirmations to expand economic partnership.

Following a reception ceremony held at the Yıldız Palace on Saturday, President Erdogan held a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Sharif, who arrived in Istanbul on Friday for an official visit in response to an invitation from Erdogan.

In a press conference after the meeting with Sharif, President Erdogan stated that the world breathed a sigh of relief with the Islamabad agreement reached between Washington and Tehran, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, pointing out that no solution can last if it is outside the will of the countries in the region and without their participation.

Erdogan accused Israel of attempting to sabotage this agreement, stressing that the current Israeli government must not be allowed to spread the smell of gunpowder and blood in our region again.

He added, "We are closely monitoring attempts to disrupt the agreement," accusing Israel of trying to undermine it and reaffirming that the current Israeli government must not be allowed to spread the smell of gunpowder and blood in our region again.

Investment Cooperation

In a related context, Turkish Trade Minister Omar Bulat said on Saturday that Turkey's investments in Pakistan have exceeded two billion dollars, noting that the volume of bilateral trade between Turkey and Pakistan is between 1.2 and 1.3 billion dollars.

This came during a speech he delivered at the Turkish-Pakistani Business Forum, which featured the participation of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, along with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, and Ministers of Commerce Omar Bulat, Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, as well as a number of invited guests.

He pointed to significant potential for cooperation between the two countries in various sectors, chiefly steel, automotive parts, plastics, consumer electronics, machinery, medical devices, and industrial products.

Experience Exchange

For his part, Pakistani Privatization Minister Muhammad Ali highlighted the economic stability that his country has regained, calling on Turkish investors to take advantage of the opportunities available under privatization programs, public-private partnership projects, and special economic zones.

Ali explained that Pakistan has regained growth momentum thanks to recent structural reforms, expressing his country's desire to leverage Turkish expertise in the energy distribution sector.

In the same context, Pakistani Oil Minister Ali Parvez Malik revealed that his country possesses more than 178 oil exploration licenses, indicating that the success rate of drilling operations is about 35%, significantly exceeding the global average.

Malik added that Pakistan has launched a new tender for offshore exploration, in which the Turkish National Oil Company (TPAO) won several of the 23 blocks offered.

For his part, Pakistani Energy Minister Sardar Owais Laghari emphasized the strategic importance that the government attaches to the energy sector, affirming that Pakistan aims to transfer the management of electricity distribution companies entirely to the private sector.

Regarding the technology sector, Pakistani Minister of Communications and Information Technology Shadha Fatima Khawaja noted that the sector recorded a growth rate of 20% over the past three years.

Khawaja clarified that Pakistani developers and specialists are providing their services to more than 70 countries, with 61% of the sector's exports heading to North America, 19% to Europe, 12.5% to the Gulf countries, and 7% to Asia.

Earlier on Saturday, the Turkish-Pakistani Business Forum kicked off in Istanbul with the aim of enhancing the long-term economic partnership between the two countries and exploring new opportunities in bilateral trade, investment, and industrial cooperation.