Turkish PM arrives in Islamabad on Sunday

Erdogan is heading a delegation of four cabinet ministers, several parliamentarians and a team of business leaders, he said. He is due to meet Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali on Sunday and General Musharraf on Monday, before the president heads further abroad to the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany. Turkey’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Abdullah Gul visited Pakistan last month for two days of talks with Musharraf and top officials, discussing the post-war Iraq situation and peace moves between Pakistan and India.

Trade between Pakistan and Turkey are minimal, despite their close political affiliation and their cooperation in boosting the role of the central Asian 10-nation Economic Cooperation Organisation.

“Both countries need to take aggressive steps to boost economic and trade interaction. We hope the upcoming visit would give a meaningful push in that direction,” a foreign ministry official said.