Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Islamabad on Thursday on a two-day trip aimed at strengthening bilateral strategic partnership and economic ties.
Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the Turkish president and his wife Emine Erdoğan as they disembarked from the airplane at the Nur Khan Airbase.
In what has now become a tradition for special foreign guests, Prime Minister Imran personally drove President Erdogan and the Turkish first lady from the airport to Prime Minister House.
A guard of honour was presented to the Turkish president by smartly turned-out personnel of the armed forces. Senior cabinet members and government officials welcomed the president at Prime Minister House.
Posters welcoming the Turkish president were put up in the capital ahead of his arrival with strict security in place.
Posters welcoming the Turkish president were put up in the capital ahead of his arrival with strict security in place.
The Foreign Office had announced that the Turkish president would visit Pakistan from Feb 13 to 14 for underscoring “traditional solidarity and affinity” between the two countries and further “deepening and broadening of the flourishing Pakistan-Turkey strategic partnership”.
Türkiye Cumhurbaşkanı Ekselansları @RTErdogan İslamabad'a ulaştı. Başbakan @ImranKhanPTI onu Nur Khan havaalani ussunde karsiladi #Pakistan #Turkey #WelcomeErdoganToPakistan pic.twitter.com/U3MuZogOZu
— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 13, 2020
Erdogan, who is accompanied on the trip by his cabinet members, senior government officials and leading Turkish business figures, would co-chair with Prime Minister Imran the 6th session of the Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), address a joint session of parliament on Friday for the record fourth time and speak at the Pakistan-Turkey Business and Investment Forum.
He will also meet President Arif Alvi during the trip.
Talking to Anadolu Agency, Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul said that President Erdogan's visit to Islamabad is a historic event and "a major step towards exemplary bilateral ties between the two countries".
