TURKEY AS MEDIATOR BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND IRAN
AZG DAILY
28-10-2009
Turkey
According to foreign media, on Sunday Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
met with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. At a joint news
conference in Islamabad, they announced that Pakistan and Turkey would
jointly combat terrorism and improve cooperation in politics, economy,
diplomacy and security through a "higher level cooperation council". A
"joint declaration" was signed to strengthen relations in economy,
trade, investment, agriculture, industry, culture, education, defense
and people-to-people contacts. Gilani invited Turkish companies to
invest in alternative energy and tourism in Pakistan, and Erdogan
called for public-private partnerships in Pakistan’s energy sector.
Erdogan also offered his services as mediator between Pakistan and Iran
regarding a bombing in Iran earlier this month. Iran holds Pakistan,
along with the US and Britain, responsible. And, having shown no
hesitancy about accepting the legitimacy of Iran’s government from
the first announcement of the disputed election results, Turkey is
now reaping its reward.
On Monday, PM Erdogan visited Tehran for two days of talks
with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, First Vice President
Mohammadreza Rahimi, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, and Foreign Minter
Manouchehr Mottaki. On the agenda: energy deals, nuclear programs,
and the expansion of bilateral ties. Erdogan was accompanied by 200
high-ranking political and economic officials – eighteen Turkish MPs
and Turkey’s ministers of foreign affairs, energy, and foreign trade.
Turkey needs Iranian natural gas, and Iran is a big market for
Turkish products.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
