Ambassador Haroon Shaukat Presenting Credentials to President Abdullah Gul

ANKARA, 22 June 2011: The newly appointed Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkey, H.E. Mr. Muhammad Haroon Shaukat, presented his credentials to the President of Republic of Turkey H.E. Mr. Abdullah Gül in an elegant ceremony held at the Çankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara.

Ambassador Shaukat Presents Credentials to Turkish President Gül

ANKARA, 22 June 2011: The newly appointed Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkey, H.E. Mr. Muhammad Haroon Shaukat, presented his credentials to the President of Republic of Turkey H.E. Mr. Abdullah Gül in an elegant ceremony held at the Çankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara today.

Speaking in Turkish, Ambassador Shaukat conveyed special greetings from the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan to President Abdullah Gül. He said both the government and the people of Pakistan have deep love and affection for their Turkish brothers and sisters and it is a unique previlige and honour to be Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey.

The newly appointed Ambassador said Pakistani nation takes pride in Turkey’s rise and strength. He said our friendship with Turkey is a source of strength for us. Ambassador Shaukat reiterated his resolve to work very closely with the Turkish friends to create a new chapter of special and strategic ties with more tangible cooperation in the commercial field.

Accepting the credentials of Ambassador Shaukat, the Turkish President asked the Ambassador to convey his warm greetings and good wishes to the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan and stated that Pakistan is a very important Muslim country with which Turkey have unique relations that pre-date the existence of the two countries. He said Turkey is keen to diversify the brotherly relations into a more concrete economic partnership.

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H.E. Mr. Muhammad Haroon Shaukat Joins as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey

ANKARA, 15 June 2011: H.E. Mr. Muhammad Haroon Shaukat assumed his duties today as Pakistan’s new Ambassador to Turkey.

A career diplomat, Mr. Muhammad Haroon Shaukat joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1978. His first posting abroad was in Pakistan Embassy Ankara where he served from 1982-1986. He is one of the senior most officers of the Pakistan Foreign Service, who is Turkish speaking. He has wide experience in the diplomatic service having served in various Pakistan missions abroad including Paris, New York, Niger and Riyadh.

Mr. Haroon Shaukat served as the Ambassador of Pakistan to Brazil 2006-2008 and was concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of Pakistan to Bolivia, Columbia, Paraguay, and Suriname.

Before assuming his duties at Ankara, Mr. Haroon Shaukat was Special Secretary with additional charge of Afghanistan and ECO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad where earlier he served as Additional Foreign Secretary, Director General (South Asia) and Director General (United Nations).

Mr. Haroon Shaukat holds a masters degree in English Literature from the University of Punjab, Lahore and a Post-Graduate diploma in International Political Relations from IIAP, Paris. He qualified, among others, the United Nations Peace Keeping Training Programme, Brindisi, Italy (2003) and the National Management Course at Pakistan Administrative Staff College, Lahore (2005).

Mr. Haroon Shaukat is married and has three children. He enjoys playing cricket.

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Pakistani leadership felicitates Turkey

ANKARA, 14 June 2011:  The President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani held separate telephonic conversations with the Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday evening.

They felicitated him on the historic third time success of Justice & Development Party (AK Party) in parliamentary elections on behalf of the people and the government of Pakistan. The Pakistani leaders expressed the hope that Pakistan’s relations with Turkey would be further strengthened under Mr. Erdoğan’s stewardship and that both the countries would charter a new course through broadening of economic and trade ties.  

President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani also sent separate messages of felicitations to Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan.

President Zardari in his message said: “I am writing to convey my heartiest congratulations on your Government’s successful re-election. This is a powerful endorsement by the people of Turkey for all the progress and dynamism that you and your Government have brought to the modern, growing and prosperous Turkey. Your success is also a vindication that societies develop and strengthen under wise Governments that are built on strong democracies. As a time tested friend of Pakistan, it is specially heartening to see the continued success of Turkey under your sagacious leadership.”

Prime Minister Gilani in his letter addressed to Prime Minister Erdoğan said that the impressive victory of the AK Party testifies to the resonance of its manifesto with the aspirations of the Turkish people. The successful completion of your government’s second terms in office, he mentioned is also a mark of strength of the Turkish political system. As leader of a political party with a distinguished history of struggle for democratic ideals, I wish to congratulate you on this singular accomplishment, the Pakistani Prime Minister wrote.

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