Pakistan's Khar reaffirms confidence in Turkey

Pakistan's Khar reaffirms confidence in Turkey
Pakistan's newly appointed Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu voiced confidence on Thursday in the future of friendly bilateral relations between their countries on the occasion of the former's visit to the Turkish capital.

Khar's visit to Ankara, also her first official visit abroad since she was appointed to her post last month, took place upon an invitation by Davutoğlu.
Speaking at a joint press conference following talks with Davutoğlu, Khar described the invitation “not by accident but by design,” to display the strength of relations between the two countries Davutoğlu dubbed “closer than brothers.”
For his part, Davutoğlu stated that the friendship between the countries was transferring into the fields of politics and economy, with both countries aiming to enrich ties by way of exchange programs at various levels and an increased trade volume that is expected to reach $2 billion in 2012.
“We are currently at a yearly trade volume of close to $1 billion with Pakistan, but we are planning to take it up to $2 billion next year,” Davutoğlu said. Also touching on the same subject, Khar said that a project for a cargo train route between the two countries, which will decrease the costs of trade significantly for both sides, is to be implemented.
Saying she was speaking on behalf of the Pakistani people, Khar indicated that “Pakistan has great confidence in where Turkey will stand in the future” and that the country was a “pillar of stability” in the region and its efforts appreciated by her people.
The two ministers also mutually expressed that the two countries were “on the same page” in their approach towards Afghanistan and Palestine.
In response to a question on Turkey's stance on a Palestinian bid for international recognition and admission to the United Nations, Davutoğlu said the initiative to protect the Palestinian state “is not just an effort by the Palestinians, but by all of us,” adding that Palestine has “the unquestioned support” of Turkey in its application to the UN for further recognition. “The international community has failed to fulfill its pledges to Palestine up until now, it is about time to change that,” the Turkish minister stated. Khar also spoke in support of the Palestinian bid by saying “whatever path Palestine decides to follow, Pakistan will be by its side.”