Prof. Dr. Nevzat Ozguven, Vice Rector, METU,
Respectable Faculty Members,
Dear Pakistani Students,
Distinguished Guests,
Assalam-o-Alaikum and
Good evening,
Let
me begin by expressing my deep appreciation for the Pakistani Students
Association at METU, for organizing this “Pakistan Day” celebration.
Show-casing
Pakistan’s rich and diverse culture, thousands of miles away from home, and in
this brotherly country, is highly commendable. I, therefore, congratulate all
those who have contributed to this endeavour.
As
we all know, the adoption of the “Pakistan Resolution” on 23 March 1940 was a
turning point in the struggle of the Muslims of South Asia for a separate
homeland, as envisioned by Allama Mohammad Iqbal.
Under
the inspiring leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, this vision was quickly
translated into reality and Pakistan emerged as an independent and sovereign
state on 14 August 1947.
“Pakistan
Day” offers us the opportunity to pay tributes to the wisdom and foresight of
our Founding fathers and to reaffirm our commitment to build an economically
strong, democratic, and pluralistic Pakistan -- as visualized by the Quaid.
It
is gratifying that since gaining independence, the Pakistani nation has made
major strides in the political, economic, security, and cultural domains. Evolution
of a strong political tradition,
dynamic civil society, independent judiciary, and vibrant media are the various
dimensions of this eventful journey so far.
Pakistan
has also been making its rightful contribution to regional and international
peace, security, stability and prosperity.
We
face continuing challenges as well – the foremost being extremism and
terrorism.
As
we take solace in the successes achieved by Operation Zarb-e-Azb, we remember the sacrifices of our thousands of security
personnel and countless innocent civilians.
At
the same time, we remain in abiding solidarity with the fraternal people of
Turkey, who have also suffered grievously at the hands of terrorism. There is
no doubt that both nations would be able to eliminate this scourge with their unshakable
resolve.
It
is a matter of deep satisfaction that the special relationship between Pakistan
and Turkey continues to grow stronger with the passage of time.
Building
on our excellent political ties, significant progress is being made towards
forging a strong economic partnership.
Bilateral
collaboration is intensifying in all fields -- including political, economic,
energy, infrastructure, defence, culture, education and people-to-people
exchanges.
As
decided by our leadership, Pakistan and Turkey are embarked upon negotiations
for a comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) covering trade in
goods, services and investment.
The
“Framework Agreement” for FTA was signed in Islamabad on 22 March 2016. Both
sides are now working to complete the remaining part of the process on a
fast-track basis.
In
the cultural domain, we are celebrating a new milestone -- i.e. completion of
100 years of Urdu studies in Turkey. The three Urdu departments at Istanbul,
Ankara, and Selcuk Universities have been strengthened, where hundreds of
Turkish students are studying Urdu language and literature.
Collaboration
between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and Council of Higher
Education (YOK) of Turkey is being reinforced. The YOK President has recently
returned from a fruitful visit to Pakistan, along with a delegation of Rectors
of several Turkish universities.
MoUs
and agreements between leading universities on both sides were signed for
collaboration in various disciplines, and for student and faculty exchanges
under the Mevlana Exchange Program.
As
these collaborative linkages between our academic institutions deepen, the
number of Pakistani students at Turkish universities has crossed over 1,400. We
expect this number to increase further as the new academic year begins in the
Fall, and hope that more Turkish students would also go for studies in
Pakistan.
Through
public diplomacy programmes, such as the “Chughtai Art Award” and “Jinnah Young
Writers’ Award” for senior high school students in Turkey, the Embassy is
engaged in efforts to transmit the message of eternal Pakistan-Turkey bonds to
the younger generation. We see you, the Pakistani students here, as vital
partners in this endeavour.
The
energetic and enterprising youth of Pakistan have tremendous potential, and a
pivotal role to play in advancing the economic and social development of
Pakistan. It is imperative that you complete your academic programmes in Turkey
with distinction, and return home with deeper knowledge and skills to make your
indispensable contribution to the process of national development.
Meanwhile,
you must help fortify the bonds of amity and brotherhood between Pakistan and
Turkey. Each one of you should represent the country with exemplary behaviour,
both on and off-campus, and further enrich this flourishing partnership.
I
assure you that the Pakistan Embassy would continue to support all your constructive
efforts, and initiatives for positive projection of Pakistani culture and way
of life in Turkey.
I
wish you the best in your studies and in your plans for the future. Thank you!
Heyet Türk Adalet Akademisinde
verilen bir brifing sırasında Türk yargı sisteminin yapısı ve işleyişi hakkında
bilgilendirildi, bu brifinge Akademinin başkanı olan Sayın Yılmaz AKÇİL’de
katıldı. Pakistan heyeti aynı zamanda
Türkiye Anayasa Mahkemesi Başkanı Sayın Zühtü ARSLAN’ı ve Adalet Bakanlığını,
Yargıtayı, Devlet Konseyini ve Sincan Ankara’daki Ülke Mahkemesini de ziyaret
etti. Bu etkileşimler sırasında, heyet
aynı zamanda Türk ev sahiplerini Pakistan’daki yargı sistemi hakkında
bilgilendirdi ve her iki taraftaki en iyi uygulamaları paylaşmak için yakın
ilgi gösterdi. 
