ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday conferred the award of Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) upon General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Commander of Turkish Land Forces, during a special investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad.
The president conferred the award upon General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu in recognition of his services in promoting and strengthening defence ties between Pakistan and Turkiye.
Later, General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu called on the president. The meeting was also attended by the Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir.
The meeting discussed issues pertaining to defence cooperation between the two brotherly nations. Both sides stressed the need for further expanding bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of Pakistan and Turkiye.
Talking to the Commander of Turkish Land Forces, President Zardari said that Islamabad was proud of its ties with Turkiye, which had always supported Pakistan on core issues.
Pakistan-Turkiye Relations
He expressed satisfaction over the collaboration between the two countries on a number of projects that would further strengthen bilateral relations.
The president underlined the need for increasing people-to-people contacts, as well as promoting cooperation in the areas of education, agriculture, art and culture to bring the people of Pakistan and Turkiye further closer.
He said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was a sincere and true friend of Pakistan who had made telephonic calls to him on his election as well as at the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan-ul-Mubarak. This, he added, showed his commitment to broadening Pakistan-Turkiye relations.
On his part, General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu reiterated the desire to further improve defence cooperation with Pakistan.
He said that both nations could significantly contribute to the promotion of regional peace and stability.
The president congratulated the commander on receiving the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) and hoped that he would continue to play his role to further strengthen defence cooperation between the two nations.
